The Witness
by PattiL61
Summary: Epilogue Up 12/18/03 (COMPLETE)! A Happy Ending. Thanks Everyone!
1. Chapter 1

The Witness  
  
Chapter 1  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The young man was in a bad situation. It wasn't that he was a bad kid. Oh, he'd done some terrible things, but it was all in the name of survival.  
  
Fourteen-year-old Cole Taylor had been on his own for the last three years. His mother had given him up for adoption when he was born. He was in one foster home after another, being shuffled back and forth, with no real sense of family or belonging. When he was 11, he was placed in a foster home where he was abused. He didn't like it, so after a year he left. He'd been on his own now for the past two and a half years. He didn't like it, but he didn't have to deal with the abuse anymore.  
  
But, living on the streets made other things necessary - like stealing food so he could eat. And depending on handouts from people on the street that gave him pathetic looks. At least he was able to buy the occasional hot meal and feel a little better than when he tried to stuff things in his pockets and run out hoping the owner couldn't catch him.  
  
And then there was the gang. He'd heard they were bad news during the brief times that he attended school. He hadn't been in school in a long time, but he could read and he was pretty good at math his teachers had told him. He loved reading and had a library card where he would go on really cold days and spend the day reading through all kinds of books. When he wasn't in the library, he lived in abandoned buildings or on the street. After being on the street for a while, he was befriended by the brother of a gang member of the Latin Lords. He started to bring him around the gang and soon enough they had made him feel like a part of their family - even though he was a caucasian boy in a predominantly black and Hispanic gang. It felt good that someone cared about him, cared about protecting him - even though they did do things he didn't agree with. Some family was better than no one - wasn't it? And then came the drugs and the drinking. He was goaded into trying it. It helped him to forget about how unhappy he was. Gradually, he stopped going to the library although he took his card out frequently and looked at it. The drugs and alcohol took more and more of a hold on him. He found himself doing anything he could to get the money for more.  
  
And now, here he was involved in something he'd wanted no part of. The gang was in the middle of a crime. He knew it was wrong, but what was he supposed to do. They were there for him and now it was his turn to step up. He had to show them that he was willing to return all that they gave him. They knew he wasn't up to any of the severe stuff, so they made him a lookout. It was his job to look out for anyone coming - especially the cops.   
  
He was standing outside of the store run by the elderly couple for as long as he could remember. They were generally nice to him, giving him some of their grandchildren's outgrown clothes so that he could stay warm. The couple knew that he'd had a rough life - didn't really trust too many people. They were willing to let him do his own thing, but they tried to keep an eye on him as well. There was something in his eyes the older woman had said to her husband. They knew he was messed up with drugs and they offered to help him, but he'd refused.  
  
Suddenly, Cole heard some excited voices from inside the store. The next thing he heard made his blood run cold. He heard shots ring out. He looked in and saw Raven, the gang's leader standing over the elderly couple with a gun in his hand, the smell of sulfur in the air, and the color red on the floor becoming larger and larger as the life seeped out of the old couple. Cole saw Raven reach over the counter and grab the money from the register. He watched him light some paper on fire as the members of the gang began leaving the store, grabbing items from the shelves on their way out. Raven was the last one out. He grabbed onto Cole's collar and pulled him along with him. "Go!" he said to him. "And keep your mouth shut," he warned. As they turned the corner, Cole looked back and saw the smoke starting to billow out of the front door of the store. He heard sirens in the distance. He didn't notice his library card lying on the sidewalk in front of the store. He wouldn't realize that was missing for a couple of days.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	2. Chapter 2

The Witness  
  
Chapter 2  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Bosco and Faith were the first on the scene. They came around the corner to the call for 'shots fired' and found smoke pouring from the front of the store. Neighbors were outside and calling for them to hurry.  
  
"55-David to Central," Faith said into her radio as Bosco exited the car and started over to the crowd. "Start the fire department to this location. We have heavy smoke coming from the building," she advised before joining her partner on the sidewalk.  
  
"Does anyone know if there's anyone still inside?" Bosco asked again. Finally a woman spoke up.  
  
"The old couple that owns the store live upstairs. I haven't seen either of them," she said as the flames began flickering out the front door as the sounds of help could be heard in the distance getting rapidly closer.  
  
"Okay. Everyone stand back across the street. The fire department's on the way and they're gonna need room to work," Faith said as she watched Bosco go over to the front o the store, holding his arms up in front of his face because of the heat. "Bosco! Don't you dare go in there!" she shouted to him. He backed up a little, unable to stand the heat anymore.  
  
An older gentleman came over to Bosco. "Sir, you need to move across the street so you don't get hurt," Bosco told him.  
  
"I heard shots," the man said to him. Bosco looked at him. "What?" he said.  
  
"I said I heard gunshots," the man repeated. "Right before the fire."  
  
"Yokas!" Bosco yelled, motioning for his partner to come over. She walked over and listened to the rest of the conversation. "Did you see anyone around? Running or walking away quickly?" said Bosco. He turned to Faith and said, "Says he heard gunshots right before the fire started."  
  
"L.K.," was all the man would say as he walked away.  
  
"L.K.?" Bosco said, looking at his partner.   
  
"Bosco. What part of town our we in?" Faith said, waiting for the 'light' to go on.  
  
"Latin Lords," Bosco said as the firetrucks rolled onto the scene and the firefighters went into action. "Perfect," he said as he watched them work.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
The next day in roll call, the cops were sitting and listening to the information from yesterday's fire that, once extinguished, revealed the bodies of the elderly couple.  
  
"They were found in the store by the counter and the preliminary shows that they were shot before the fire got them," he stated, reading from the report. "Investigators found a library card outside of the store belonging to a Cole Taylor. The detectives talked to some of the staff from the library and one of them said he's a kid, maybe 14 or 15; Caucasian, about 5'4" to 5'6"; dark hair and eyes. According to their computer, most of the books he's checked out were sports and soccer. One of the librarians said she didn't know for sure, but she always got the impression he was alone; maybe homeless. Now, we don't know what the significance is, but he could be a potential witness so if you come across this person, let the detectives know. Now, hit the streets and keep your eyes open," he finished.  
  
Bosco and Faith got their portable radios and were headed out to their RMP. "That poor couple. All they were trying to do was to make enough money to survive - they should have been retired and living in Florida somewhere," Faith said, thinking of the couple that died in the fire.  
  
"Yeah. I'm sure the Latin Lords are losing tons of sleep over it," Bosco replied sarcastically. Faith rolled her eyes and they started their shift.  
*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Cole sat in the corner of the dark room of the old, abandoned building. He couldn't get the site of the old couple lying on the floor out of his head. Raven had given him his cut of the money and he'd immediately bought some alcohol with it, hoping to drink himself unconscious so he didn't have to see the images anymore.  
  
He heard a noise and panicked. He thought that the police were after him. It didn't help that he was on edge because he needed some drugs. He saw a figure coming into the room and realized it was Ronnie, Rave's brother.  
  
"Cole. Man, Raven's looking for you. You need to come back with me. He wants to talk to you, man," Ronnie told him.  
  
Cole shook his head. "No, I'm not going back. You can tell him I'll keep my mouth shut, but I can't do that anymore," he said, not realizing that it wasn't going to be that easy.  
  
"Look, either you come back with me or Raven's gonna come looking for you. And, if he has to come lookin' for you, he's not gonna be nice," Ronnie explained, dragging Cole to his feet.  
  
"Wait," Cole said, pulling away from Ronnie and reaching down to pick up his soccer ball. He loved playing soccer and usually found a pick-up game in the park he could join when he was sober. He'd used some of the money from last night to buy the ball when he saw it in the window of the sporting goods store after the terrible events. After he'd retrieved his ball, Ronnie continued to pull him along with him toward Raven's place.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Faith and Bosco took a ride past the fire scene. Curious onlookers were standing amongst the neighbors. No doubt they were all talking about the decline of the neighborhood and the increase in crime. They watched the RMP roll by and Bosco could almost hear them saying, "The cops don't do a damn thing."  
  
"What do they expect us to do if no one calls until it's too late?" Bosco said in answer to the silent stare he was receiving from the people on the street.  
  
"That's the million dollar question, Bos," Faith said as the radio crackled to life and they were sent on a call.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	3. Chapter 3

The Witness  
  
Chapter 3  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Raven and some of the others were all sitting around in the apartment. Ronnie opened the door and half-dragged Cole into the room. Raven dismissed the others so that it was just Ronnie and Cole in the room. Ronnie put Cole into a chair and left his hand on his shoulder so that he wouldn't try to get up.  
  
Ronnie had a talk with Cole on the way over, although Cole pretty much didn't comprehend most of it because of the drugs he'd taken just before Ronnie's appearance. Basically, Ronnie told him that Raven was worried about how he freaked out over the job last night. He was worried that he'd go to the cops. Ronnie told Raven that there was no way that Cole would do that. That he knew better than to cross Raven or the Latin Lords, but Raven wanted to make sure.  
  
Now, Raven stood up and slowly walked over to Cole. Even though Cole was under the affects of the drugs, he recognized Raven and knew that he meant business. He looked up at Raven as he stood in front of him.  
  
"Where you been, Cole?" Raven asked him.  
  
"Around," he answered.  
  
"Around where?"  
  
"Just around. Here and there. I had to score some drugs," Cole answered him again.  
  
Ronnie could see that Raven was getting mad because Cole wasn't answering his questions. "I found him over in that abandoned building on Lex. You know, the one he usually hangs out in, Raven," Ronnie told him. "Man, he musta been there all night, 'cause he's pretty messed up."  
  
"Yeah? Is that where you were all night, Cole? Because I can find out. I got people that can find these things out," he said, bending over and grabbing Cole by the hair and forcing him to look at him.  
  
"Yeah. What Ronnie said. I been out of it all night. I found some good stuff. Stuff that helped me forget about last night. About you burning those old people," Cole said disrespectfully, which brought him a beating from Raven.  
  
After the beating, Cole lay on the floor of the apartment, barely conscious. "Get him out of here. When he sobers up tell him who gave him the beating. Tell him there's worse where that came from if he opens his mouth about last night," Raven told Ronnie.  
  
"He won't say nothin', Raven. He knows who his family is," Ronnie tried to assure him, looking down at his friend. Raven hurt him pretty bad. "He probably needs a doctor," he thought as he and one of the other guys who had come in helped him get Cole outside.  
  
Ronnie dragged Cole around the corner and into the alley. He stayed with him for a while, but he was getting worse and Ronnie started to get scared. "Won't do to have Cole die. Then the cops'll start snooping around and Raven won't like that for sure," Ronnie thought to himself. He thought for a moment and then made a decision.  
  
"Help's on the way, Cole. But, you better keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you," Ronnie said as he left Cole in the alley and went around the corner to the pay phone.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Faith and Bosco were on their way back out on patrol. They'd brought in a couple of men who were involved in a fistfight after a traffic accident. Bosco and Faith were willing to assist the men in exchanging insurance information and getting them on their way since there was minimal damage to either vehicle. But, the two men had different agendas and when the fighting continued and Bosco got hit in the eye, it was a done deal - those two were off to jail for creating a disturbance and assault on a police officer.  
  
Lieutenant Swersky saw them walking down the hallway as they passed his office and called out to them. They walked back toward his office and met him in the hallway.  
  
"What's up, Lieu?" Faith asked, as Bosco held the ice pak to his eye.  
  
"What the hell happened?" The Lieutenant asked.  
  
"Oh, Bosco got in the way of two guys fighting over a traffic accident. He stopped the fight with his face," Faith relayed to the Lieutenant with a smirk. The Lieutenant was able to stifle the laugh that tried to escape.  
  
"Oh, well did you get it checked out to make sure you don't have any eye damage?" he asked Bosco.  
  
"Nah. I was knocked around harder than this by my old man by the time I was 15," Bosco said casually, causing the Lieutenant and Faith to be speechless momentarily. Bosco'd never really talked about it with Faith. She knew he had it hard with his father. She knew he was a drunk and had hit his mother, but she never knew that he knocked Bosco around too.  
  
"Okay, but if you have any problems, get over to Mercy," the Lieutenant said.   
  
"Okay, Lieu," Bosco said as he and Faith turned to leave.  
  
"Oh, I called you back here to tell you that the detectives ran that kid's name - the library card they found outside the fire last night - through the computer and sure enough he's got a record. Minor stuff. Stealing food from the groceries, minor vandalism and illegal trespassing in some abandoned buildings. Looks like he's homeless, just like the librarian thought," the Lieutenant relayed. "And, all of his arrests have been out of your zone, so keep your eyes open for him. Stop by the front desk for his booking photo," he finished.  
  
"Okay. I'll go get it. Why don't you go look at your eye in the locker room," Faith offered.  
  
"Alright," Bosco said, turning and walking down the hallway to the locker room.  
  
"Tell me that he didn't get that black eye by goading one of those guys," the Lieutenant asked Faith. "Am I going to get a civilian complaint?"  
  
"Absolutely not, Sir. Bosco did not instigate it this time. Those guys were just out of control, Lieu," Faith assured him.  
  
"Alright. Get back out there," the Lieutenant said, turning to go back into his office. "Oh, and do me a favor, Yokas," he said as an afterthought.  
  
"Yeah, Lieu?" Faith said.  
  
"You drive. I don't need him running into something because he's seeing double," her boss said, turning and walking into his office.  
  
"Yes, Sir," Faith replied and she went to go find her partner and pick up the booking photo of Cole Taylor.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Doc and Alex were just finishing up getting signatures from the patient that had decided to refuse transport to the hospital. Doc had tried to talk the woman into it, but she had refused. Apparently, she didn't feel that passing out on the sidewalk for no apparent reason was a good enough reason for a trip to the hospital.  
  
"Yes, Ma'am," Doc said. "But if you change your mind or you have more symptoms, please just call back and we'll come right over," he urged her.  
  
"Thank you, but I'll be fine, young man," she assured him.  
  
They headed back to their rig when the radio crackled for them again. "Adam   
55-3, take a call for an unknown, boy down. The alleyway on Lexington, in the area of 103rd," came the call.  
  
"10-4, Central. Is there someone there to show us where to go?" Alex asked into the radio.  
  
"Unknown, 55-3. It was a hang-up 9-1-1 call from a payphone at the corner," came the dispatcher's reply.  
  
"10-4," Alex replied as Doc got in to drive and Alex climbed into the passenger seat.   
  
"Seems like the day for people to just fall down for no reason," Doc said as they headed in the direction of the call.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Faith pulled the RMP into the lot by the emergency entrance of Angel of Mercy and turned it off. "Maybe you should get that looked at as long as you're here," Faith said, noticing the bruise was getting worse.  
  
"I told you, I'm fine, Faith," Bosco said again, tired of repeating himself.  
  
"Yeah, well make sure you get another cold pak from Proctor while you're here," she said to him.  
  
"Yes, Mommy," he replied sarcastically.  
  
They walked into the emergency room and saw Doc and Alex standing at the desk finishing up their paperwork. "You brought in an assault?" Bosco said to Doc as they approached them.  
  
"What the hell happened to you?" Alex blurted out.  
  
"Line of duty injury," he said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Yeah, he felt it was his duty to get in the line of an oncoming punch at a traffic dispute," Faith filled in the blanks.  
  
"Ouch," Doc said, grabbing Bosco's chin and lifting to get better light on his eye. "That's pretty red. You get it checked out yet?"  
  
"I'm fine. Look, did you call us in here for an assault or what?" he said, getting perturbed. He walked over to where Alex pointed to their patient and looked into the exam room.  
  
"He should really get that checked out," Doc told Faith.   
  
"He says his old man used to knock him around worse than that and he survived. He's not gonna get it checked unless the Boss orders him to. You know how he is with doctors and hospitals," Faith said. "So, what's the scoop with your patient?"  
  
"Fourteen year old kid. We found him in an alleyway. He's beat up pretty bad. Might have a ruptured spleen and probably a collapsed lung. He's high and drunk too. They're evaluating him now. He wasn't conscious when we got to him, but he's pretty dirty. Probably homeless," Doc reported with sadness in his voice.  
  
"Okay. We'll take it from here. I'll let you know what we find out," Faith said, knowing that Doc liked to check up on his patients, particularly the ones that seemed to have no one.  
  
"Okay. Have a safe one. And have him get his eye checked out," Doc tried one more time.  
  
"I'll have Proctor tackle him before we leave," Faith joked as she turned and walked over to her partner.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	4. Chapter 4

The Witness  
  
Chapter 4  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Bosco was at the desk starting the paperwork on the kid that Doc and Alex brought in. Nurse Proctor had given him a new ice pak, but it was setting on the desk alongside his clipboard. Faith had gone into the exam room to see what she could find out from the doctor about the young man's injuries.  
  
"Any ID on the kid in Room 4?" Bosco asked the nurse at the desk. She looked through the chart and flipped a few pages.   
  
"Says here his name is Taylor. Cole Taylor. We're requesting medical records to check for any old charts in case he was treated here before. If so, there may be more information on next of kin and stuff," she answered him. He nodded as he started to write the boy's name in the report.  
  
"You know, Officer. That ice would work a lot better if you actually applied it to your eye," came a familiar voice from behind him.  
  
Bosco finished writing Cole's name on the report as the smile came across his face. He turned and said, "Well, Katy Logan. It's been a long time."  
  
"Yeah. I thought you said you were going to call me," she said, some bitterness, but more humor in her voice.  
  
"Um. I tried a couple of times, but we never hooked up. But I'm up for it if you are," he said, trying to sound charming.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure you are - up for the hooking up part anyway," she teased him as she walked over to the desk. "So, what happened to your eye?" she asked him. "I'm assuming that's why you're here."  
  
"Actually, no. I think I'm here for the same reason you are. You are still with Childrens' Services, right?" he asked her, referring to the boy in Room 4.  
  
"Cole Taylor?" she asked him, looking at her note from her secretary.  
  
"The same," he said, suddenly recognizing the name. "You know the scoop on this kid?" he asked her.  
  
"He's in the system," she said. "Lives on the street. He runs away from foster care. He's got a drug and alcohol problem. And quite the attitude if I remember correctly," she said. "So what happened to him?"  
  
"Somebody beat the crap out of him and dumped him in an alley over on Lex," Bosco told her as Faith walked over to them.  
  
"Hey, Faith," Katy said to her. "He finally got to you, huh?" she said, gesturing to Bosco's eye.  
  
"Hey, Katy. No, I wish I could take the credit, but the idiot who did it is in lock-up right now," Faith said without elaborating.  
  
"So, what'd the doctor say about the kid. You know it's Cole Taylor, right? The kid we're looking for in connection with that fire last night," Bosco informed Faith.  
  
"Really?" Faith said, looking back into the room. "Well, the doctor said he had a collapsed lung and probably a lacerated liver. They got the lung re-inflated with a chest tube and they're gonna keep an eye on the liver for now. He may be okay without surgery. They're gonna send him up to CT to evaluate him for a head injury. It's that or the drugs and alcohol that have him unconscious," Faith said, as she looked back at the boy.  
  
"What's this about a fire last night?" Katy asked.  
  
"They found this kid's library ID outside of a bodega fire last night. The elderly couple that owned it and lived upstairs were found dead inside - with gunshot wounds. Medical Examiner's trying to figure out if they died before or as a result of the fire," Bosco explained. "Anyway, they think this kid may be a witness. By-stander mentioned the Latin Lords in connection with the fire," he finished.  
  
Katy shook her head sadly. "I was hoping he'd stay away from the gangs, but he seemed to be gravitating toward it the last time we had him."  
  
"What happened to his real parents?" Bosco asked. Katy looked through her file before answering.  
  
"No Dad in the picture ever. Mom gave him up when he was born. He's been in foster care up until he turned 12. There were allegations of abuse, but we couldn't prove it. He decided he could take better care of himself than having to deal with abusive foster parents and took off," she said. "He's been in and out of hospitals for incidences similar to today. We had him in rehab a couple of times, but he never stuck it out," she told them. Bosco looked at the boy lying still on the bed.  
  
"If I remember right, he was a pretty good student when he went to school. And he likes sports. He's pretty athletic actually. Plays some pick-up games of soccer in the park sometimes," she finished as the doctor came over to them.  
  
"So, is he gonna be okay, Doc?" Bosco asked.  
  
"He'll survive these injuries, but he won't survive much longer the way he's living his life. We ran a drug screen and he's got at least three different kinds of drugs in his system along with the alcohol. It's a wonder he didn't die in that ally," the doctor reported.  
  
"We're gonna admit him. He's on his way up to CT and then to ICU so we can monitor him closely. He still may need surgery, but we'll have to see what the liver does," he finished, turning to fill out the chart.  
  
Katy handed the doctor her card for the chart. "Could you give me a call if, I mean when, he wakes up, Doctor? Or if his condition changes? Whatever you do, don't let him leave without me talking to him first. I want to try to get him back into rehab if I can," she said. The doctor sighed heavily and nodded. He'd seen this kind of thing too often. Everyone knew that if he didn't want to get himself clean, it wasn't gonna happen.  
  
"Well, keep fightin' the good fight, guys," Katy said as she prepared to leave. She slipped Bosco her card too. "In case you want to discuss the case," she said quietly in his ear before picking up the ice pak and putting it against his eye and putting his hand up to hold it in place before leaving. "Or anything else."  
  
Bosco turned to watch her walk out. "Now, why don't you call her. She'd be good for you," Faith said behind him.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Bosco said.  
  
"Well, you're just a big juvenile delinquent yourself," Faith said sarcastically as the nurse came over to the doctor as he tried to stifle a chuckle at Faith's comment.  
  
"Doctor, he's starting to come around a little. We're putting the soft restraints on because he's trying to pull the lines out," she said. The doctor followed her back into the room with Bosco and Faith close behind.  
  
The doctor took a quick glance at the monitors and then went to check his pupil reaction with a flashlight. "Cole. Can you hear me? You're at Angel of Mercy and we're gonna take care of you. But, you need to relax and let us do what we have to do so you don't injure yourself further. Do you know what happened to you?" the doctor asked him.  
  
"F*(k you!" Cole yelled out, fighting harder.  
  
"Nice vocabulary," Bosco said under his breath.  
  
"Give him 10 mg of valium to calm him down," the doctor ordered. The nurse administered the medication and Cole seemed to quiet slightly. He opened his left eye, but his right eye remained shut probably from the swelling from the beating he took.  
  
"Cole Taylor? I'm Officer Faith Yokas. Do you know who did this to you?" she asked him.  
  
"NO! No cops! I ain't talkin' to no cops!" he yelled becoming agitated again. The doctor motioned for them to back off and they did.   
  
Finally, Cole calmed down again, but not before Bosco saw something in the boy's eyes. Not anger, but... fear. "What are you afraid of?" he thought to himself.  
  
They stepped out of the room and in a few minutes, the doctor joined them. "Well, he's sedated until we find out about his CT scan. He's not going anywhere so you might as well call later and we'll let you know if you can talk to him," he informed them.  
  
"Okay, Doc. Thanks," Faith said. Bosco grabbed his clipboard and they started out to the RMP.  
  
"Officer. If you start having any blurred vision or headaches, you should probably get back here and get that eye checked out and an x-ray of the bones around it," the doctor suggested.  
  
"Geez! What is it with everyone today," he said in exasperation. "Thanks, Doc. I'll do that," he yelled over his shoulder.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	5. Chapter 5

The Witness  
  
Chapter 5  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bosco finished the remainder of his shift without talking much. Faith noticed and finally said something.  
  
"Bos?" she said, trying to get his attention as she pulled the car into the station lot. He looked over at her and she chuckled at the sight of his swollen, black eye. "Are you sure your eye's okay?" she asked him for what seemed the hundredth time that night.  
  
"It's pretty sore," he said, even though it wasn't too bad. "I think I'll run over to Mercy and have that x-ray the doc suggested," he said to Faith.  
  
"Want me to drive you over?" she asked him. "I'll wait with you in case you need something done or medicine or something."  
  
"Nah. I'll just have the x-ray to be on the safe side. What the heck, the Department's payin' for it," he said to her smiling.  
  
"Okay. If you're sure. Give me a call when you get home and let me know how you made out," she told him.  
  
"I'll call you tomorrow. By the time I get in there and get seen and home it'll be like 3 in the morning. Fred'd love me to call you at 3:00 a.m.," he told her and she nodded.  
  
"You're probably right. But if it's anything serious, call me anyway," she said, as they got out of the car and went inside to turn in their radios and change in to their street clothes.  
  
"Absolutely," he said to her.  
  
After they changed, they walked out together. "See ya tomorrow," Faith called to Bosco as she headed off for the train.  
  
"You want a lift home first?" he asked her.  
  
"No. You might as well get over to Mercy and get started on your long wait," she said, waving him off.  
  
"Alright. See you tomorrow," he answered, getting into his car and heading off in the direction of Mercy. He didn't really need the x-ray, but he didn't like the look of fear he saw in Cole Taylor's eyes when they talked to him before.   
He thought this would give him an excuse to be there and maybe he could just stop in and check on how he was doing.   
He thought about what Katy Logan had told them about this kid. He's been on the streets for a little over two years. He's got attitude and he may be getting involved with the Latin Lords. Everything pointed to this kid's early demise. Bosco would sure like to try to help this kid. Along with the fear in his eyes, he'd also seen that lost look - the look he probably had as a kid too. Only, he was lucky. He got straightened out before it was too late. The old man upstairs in his apartment building while he was growing up had seen to that. Maybe Bosco could do the same for this kid somehow. It was worth a shot anyway.  
  
He pulled into the lot of Mercy and parked his car. He looked in the mirror and lightly touched his eye, flinching at the touch. "Hmm. Maybe an x-ray's not a bad idea," he thought to himself as he got out and headed for the ER.  
  
He walked up to the desk and was lucky enough to catch his favorite nurse, Mary Proctor, stopping by on the way to her next patient.  
  
"Bosco. What're you doing here at this hour?" she asked him, looking up at the clock. "Overtime?"  
  
"Nah. I thought I'd take you guys up on the offer for that x-ray. My eye's pretty sore. It probably wouldn't hurt," he said.  
  
She tilted his chin up so that she took take a better look at his eye in the overhead light. She felt around his eye socket, much to his dismay and finally said, "Okay. Fill this out and take a seat. I should be able to sneak you in to the doctor in a couple of minutes." She handed him the ER paperwork to fill out and then added, "Don't worry about filling in the insurance info. We've got all that on the computer for injuries to officers in the line of duty."  
  
"Thanks, Mary. I appreciate it," he said, sitting down to fill out the papers.  
  
True to her words, a few minutes later, he was in an examination room and the doctor came in shortly after.  
  
"Office Boscorelli. Just couldn't stay away, eh?" said the doctor that had been working when he was in earlier to take the report on the Taylor boy.  
  
"Yeah. Well, you said to come back if it was bothering me, so here I am, Doc," Bosco said.  
  
"Okay, let's have a look shall we?" the doctor said, palpating the area around his eye to see if he could feel any factures. "Did you have any bleeding from the nose when this happened?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, but very little - only for a minute," Bosco answered, flinching at each touch from the doctor.  
"Blurred vision, headaches, dizziness?" the doctor asked him.  
  
"Well, now that you mention it, I do have a little bit of a headache," Bosco answered.  
  
"Well, I think we should send you for an x-ray for sure. Just to make sure you don't have an orbital fracture," he said, writing in the chart and motioning through the window for Nurse Proctor to come back in.  
  
"Whatever," Bosco said to the doctor.  
  
"Mary, Officer Bosorelli here needs a facial x-ray to rule out an orbital fracture," the doctor said as he wrote out the order. "I'll see you after the x-ray," the doctor said, turning to leave the room.  
  
"Thanks. Oh, Doc?" Bosco said, and the doctor turned back toward him.  
  
"How's that kid from tonight? Cole Taylor? The one that got the snot beat out of him out on Lex?" Bosco said, trying to remind the doctor who he was talking about.  
  
The doctor nodded that he remembered and said, "He's upstairs. They're watching him for signs of needing surgery on that liver laceration. He's got a nasty concussion but no skull fracture. He's got various other cuts and bruises, but I think he'll survive his injuries. I'm not so sure about his addiction," he said sadly.  
  
"Do you know if he's awake?" Bosco asked.  
  
"Not when we sent him upstairs," the doctor answered and turned to walk out.  
  
"I'll check while you're in x-ray, Bosco," Mary offered, knowing what Bosco was thinking. She'd seen this from him before and knew that he had a soft spot for kids in trouble. She knew he'd never let on to his fellow officers, but she'd seen it herself. "Katy called in to check on him too," she added.  
  
Bosco smiled at the thought of Katy Logan. "Thanks, Mary. Are they ready for me in x-ray?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, I called ahead because I figured he'd order one. Can you get there on your own?" she asked, handing him the paperwork ordering the x-ray.  
  
"In my sleep, Mary. In my sleep," he said, heading out the door and taking a left.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Bosco was discharged from the Emergency Room, but not before being told he had a hairline fracture of the bone around his eye. The doctor wanted to put him on light duty, but he'd talked him out of it. He told him he'd lie low from the heavy calls as much as he could, but that he couldn't just ride a desk. The doctor laughed when he told him that he didn't think the Lieutenant would last a week with him in the building and he didn't want to be responsible for the Lieutenant's early retirement.   
  
So, he was discharged home and told to be careful for a couple of weeks. He was told to take Tylenol for the pain and any headaches that may come from the injury and to come back if he had any more problems. Other than that, he should follow up with his own doctor in about two weeks, just to make sure that it healed okay. Bosco didn't say it out loud, but thought to himself, "This place is my own doctor."  
  
He caught up to Mary at the desk and she told him that Cole had woken up. She gave him the room number and said she'd told the head nurse up there that a friend of the patient's who happened to be a cop had just gotten off duty and wanted to stop up and see him even though visiting hours were over. The nurse said she'd make an exception as long as he didn't stay long and was quiet so as not to disturb the other patients.  
  
"Thanks, Mary. I owe you big time," Bosco told her.   
  
"Remember that when you bring me in the fifth drunk of the day next time," she joked with him. "Take care of yourself, Bosco."  
  
"Will do, Mary. You do the same. Hope you have a quiet shift tonight," he said.  
  
"That's it. Now you jinxed it. We're gonna get slammed for sure now!" she said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"I forgot. Sorry," he said, walking down the hallway as the telemetry radio crackled to life with an incoming trauma patient's information and vitals.  
*^*^*^*^*^^*^*  
  
Bosco made his way up to the floor that Cole was on and stepped off the elevator. The nurse looked at him and he took out his wallet and showed her his badge. She took in his appearance and motioned toward Cole's room. "Mary told me you had a bad day too."  
  
"Yeah. Thanks. I'll only be a minute. I just want to see if he needs anything or wants me to call anyone for him," he said.  
  
"Okay. Take your time, just try to keep the noise down," the nurse said. Mary had filled her in on Bosco's real mission and the nurse liked the idea that someone was trying to help this kid so it softened her up on the rules.  
  
Bosco walked to the doorway and let his eyes adjust to the darkness of the room. After a moment he walked into the room and quietly up to the bed. He saw that Cole's eyes were closed and he waited for a moment without hearing the rhythmic breathing of someone asleep. "He must just be resting his eyes," Bosco thought to himself as he cleared his throat.  
"Cole Taylor?" Bosco asked quietly. The boy's eyes opened, but he didn't react. He didn't recognize Bosco without his uniform on.  
  
"Yeah. Who wants to know," the boy replied with attitude. Bosco smiled and thought to himself, "Here we go."  
  
"My name is Maurice Boscorelli. You can call me Bosco. Most people do," Bosco started.  
  
"Whatta you want?" asked the boy meanly.  
  
"I was just wondering if there was anyone I could call for you. Your Mom or someone?" Bosco said, immediately wanting to kick himself when he remembered that the boy's mother gave him up at birth.  
  
"No. Nobody," Cole said. "I just want to go to sleep," he said, turning his head away from Bosco.  
  
"Well, I'd like to try to help you if I could," Bosco offered. "My friend Katy - I think you've met her before. I think we could help you if you'd just let us," he said, waiting for some kind of response.  
  
"Katy? Katy who. I don't know any Katy," Cole replied, still nasty.  
  
"Katy Logan, from Child and Family Services. Do you remember her?" Bosco asked, seeing a look of agitation come across Cole's face.  
  
"Now I recognize your voice. You're the cop from this afternoon," he said, trying to sit up. "Look, I don't wanna talk to any cops. I CAN'T talk to any cops!" he said, becoming more upset.  
  
"Okay, okay. Just calm down, Cole. I'm only trying to help you. I can help you if you'll let me. I know you're afraid..." Bosco said, only to be interrupted.  
  
"I'm not afraid of anything. Just leave me alone!" he yelled again, this time bringing the nurse into the room.  
  
Bosco held up his hand to let her know that he understood they were being too loud and she stopped at the doorway and waited.  
  
"Okay, Cole. I'll leave. But, please let Katy help you. Please talk to her. Or you can talk to me. I'll leave my card with the nurse," he said, handing his card to the nurse. "She'll put it in your chart. You can call me anytime; day or night," Bosco offered.  
  
"Look! Just leave me alone!" Cole yelled.  
  
"I'm really going to have to ask you to leave, Officer Boscorelli," the nurse said.  
  
"I know. I'm going. I'm sorry if I disturbed any patients," Bosco apologized. As he started to leave the room he turned back to the boy and one more time said, "I mean it Cole. Anytime. There's nothing so bad that it can't be fixed and I'd like to help you." That said, Bosco walked out of the room, followed by the nurse.  
  
  
"I think what you're doing is good, Officer. I just wanted you to know that. Don't give up on him. I see it in his eyes. He's alone and he's scared," the nurse said.  
  
Bosco nodded and offered her another card with his home number on it also. "Could you just put this on the table next to his bed. It's got my home number on it too."  
  
"Sure. Goodnight, Officer," said the nurse as she went to see if Cole had settled down any.  
  
Bosco got on the elevator and pressed Lobby. Suddenly the late hour and the events of the day had caught up with him and he felt exhausted. He realized his head was pounding and he couldn't wait to get home, take some Tylenol and fall into bed. He felt like he could sleep for a week.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	6. Chapter 6

The Witness  
  
Chapter 6  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Cole felt himself waking up. He heard the sounds of the hospital before he even opened his eyes. He felt terrible. He wanted something to make him sleep more. He wasn't even sure he wanted to wake up. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. A few moments later a nurse walked into the room. She noticed he was awake.  
  
"Well, good morning, young man," said the woman, a warm smile on her face. "And, how are you today?" she said, reaching over to take his pulse. She proceeded to get the rest of his vitals and wrote in his chart. "Don't feel like talking yet?" she asked him.  
  
He shook his head no and she replied, "Well, that's okay. Just let me know if there's anything I can get for you. I'm afraid that I can't give you anything to eat yet. The doctor has to come in and check you over. We have to wait and see if you're liver's gonna heal without surgery. But, that IV in your arm will give you enough nutrients and keep you hydrated. It shouldn't be too much longer before we know."  
  
"Water?" Cole asked. His mouth was so dry. "Headache," he managed to say also.  
  
"No water yet, but I can give you a wet washcloth to wet your lips. As a matter of fact, I wanted to wash your face and hands off good this morning. Get some more of that dried blood off your face if I can. I'll go get something for your headache. I have to give it to you through the IV, but it gets into your system faster that way anyway," she said cheerfully.  
  
Cole continued to take in his surroundings. The last thing he remembered clearly was his friend Ronnie dragging him out of Raven's apartment. He'd gotten a pretty good beating if the way he was feeling now was any indication. He remembered somebody talking to him. "When was it?" he thought to himself. "Last night? Was it daytime?" he thought, realizing he didn't even know how long he'd been in the hospital. The nurse returned with a syringe that contained pain medication he guessed. He's wished it was something better than that, but he was pretty sure there was no chance of him getting any of that in here.  
  
The nurse administered the pain medication through his IV and wet his lips for him. "How long have I been here?" Cole asked her while she was gently washing up his face. The nurse glanced over at the chart to look at the date he'd been admitted. "Looks like you came in yesterday afternoon. It's 8:30 in the morning on Thursday," she told him. "You were pretty banged up when you came in. Any idea who did this to you?" she said, receiving only silence in response.  
  
"When can I get out of here?" he asked her.  
  
She chuckled slightly. "Well, I don't think you'll feel like going anywhere for a couple of days anyway. But, the man who came to see you last night will probably be able to help you when it's time to go home."  
  
"What man that came to see me last night?" Cole asked, thinking that this was probably what he slightly remembered. But, he remembered getting upset also.   
  
The nurse glanced at the card on the nightstand and said, "An Officer Maurice Boscorelli. He left his card here for you. It has his home number on it also."  
  
"Throw it away," Cole said meanly.  
  
"Why?" the nurse asked.  
  
"Because I don't want to talk to him," Cole simply said.  
  
"He only wants to help you," she said to him again.  
  
"Look, I CAN'T talk to him. Don't you understand?" he said, clearly become angry. The nurse thought it best to let it drop.  
  
"Well, I can see the subject is upsetting you, so I'll let it go," she said, placing the card back on the bedside table. She picked up the items she used to bathe him and turned to leave. She paused at the door.  
  
"Look, Cole. I know you don't know him, but I know Bosco. He's a little rough around the edges, but he really wants to help you," she said to him before turning to leave. "Just push the button if you need anything else. I'll check in on you in a little while."  
  
Cole watched the nurse leave and just stared at the card on the table for a few minutes. The nurse walked by a few minutes later and looked in on the boy sleeping restlessly. She went to the desk to call the doctor on call and let him know that Cole was showing the first signs of withdrawl - irritability and restlessness.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco's phone rang at 9:00 a.m. He reached for the phone without taking his head out from under the pillow. It felt like he'd just gone to sleep. As he brought the phone under the pillow to his ear, it glanced off the side of his face and immediately he was reminded of his bruised eye.   
  
"OW! Boscorelli!" he said abruptly into the phone.  
  
"Bosco?" came the voice from the other end.  
  
"Yes, Faith. It's me," he grumbled into the phone, his voice muffled by the pillow.  
  
"Did I wake you up?"  
  
"Uh huh," he replied.  
  
"Oh, sorry. I just wondered how you made out at the hospital last night?" she said.  
  
"You mean this morning? I didn't get in until about 4 a.m.," he told her, sitting up finally. He touched his eye and winced with the pain. He glanced into the mirror attached to his dresser and was glad to see that at least some of the swelling was down. He could open the eye fully, but it looked awful.  
  
"Wow! I didn't think you'd be stuck there that long. They must have been busy, huh?" she said. She always was too damned cheerful in the morning, he thought to himself.  
  
"Yeah, kind of," he said, not telling her that he stopped by to see Cole Taylor.  
  
"So, what did they say about your eye?" she asked him, finally getting to the reason she called him.  
  
"Uh, they took an x-ray and said that it was fine. Just a little crack in the bone, but not a problem. I just have to take it easy for a couple weeks," he told her.  
  
"Oh, so you'll be working the desk for a couple of weeks. I wonder who I'll be riding with at work?" she said.  
  
"No, I won't be riding the desk for a couple of weeks," he corrected her.  
  
"But, you said that..." she said, only to be interrupted.  
  
"Look, the doctor said I could go back to work. He said to just be careful of getting hit again. That's all. I'm not even going to mention it to Lieu. And neither are you, Faith. Hear me?" he said.  
  
"If you're sure. You know, Bos, you don't want to mess around with your eyesight..."  
  
"Faith, it's fine. Now, can I go back to sleep? I have to be up in... 3 1/2 hours to get ready for work," he said, irritated by lack of sleep.  
  
"Oh, yeah. Sorry I woke you up," she said.  
  
"It's okay. Thanks for checking on me. I'll see you in a while okay?" he said, sorry for biting her head off.  
  
"Okay. See you there," she said before hanging up the phone.  
  
Bosco hung up the phone and laid back on the pillow, pulling the other over his face to block out the light. He was just falling to sleep again when his phone rang again.  
  
He reached over and snatched the phone off the receiver. "Faith! Please, I just want to get some sleep!"  
  
"Somebody sure got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. And, Faith better be your partner," came Katy's voice on the other end.  
  
Bosco sat up again. "Sorry, Katy. I thought you were Faith calling back again. I went over to the hospital to get my eye checked after work last night and didn't get home 'til like 4:00. She called a few minutes ago to check on me," he said, rubbing at his forehead hoping that would make the headache go away.  
  
"Oh. Sorry. I'll let you get some sleep then. Call me when you get to work today, okay?" Katy said to him.  
  
"No, it's okay. I can't go back to sleep anyway. My head's pounding," he said, getting up and carrying the cordless phone with him into the bathroom to get some more Tylenol.  
  
"So, how's your eye?" she asked him.  
  
"It's okay. Just sore," he told her, skipping all the details. "So, what's up with you?"  
  
"Well, I know your eye isn't the only thing you checked on last night," she said, and Bosco could hear the smile in her voice. "I talked to Sarah, the night nurse on Cole Taylor's floor and she told me you were in there last night."  
  
"Yeah, well. I just wanted to check on him as long as I was there. You know, see if he was up to talking," he said.  
  
"Yeah, I heard he wasn't," she said to him.  
  
"Yeah, he got a little irritated. I left him my card with my home number on it," he told her.  
  
"So, can I buy you lunch or are you gonna try to catch a nap before you go in to work?" she asked him.   
  
He smiled. "Yeah, I'm up for lunch. Where do you want to meet? Or, do you want me to pick you up somewhere?"  
  
"How about you meet me at Mercy's cafeteria. I have a couple other kids I need to check up on there and then I thought we'd go try and talk to Cole again," she said.  
  
"Wow, hospital food. Now that's romantic," he said sarcastically.  
  
"Yeah, well, you didn't just expect me to fall back into bed with you after your disappearing act last time, did you?" she said, reminding him what happened the last time they'd been together.   
  
He didn't say anything and she continued. "You have to wine and dine me first, Boscorelli."  
  
"I thought you said YOU were buying ME lunch," he reminder her, as he walked out to the kitchen and opened his refrigerator  
  
"Yeah, well we'll negotiate further when I see you. Say, 12:30?" she said.  
  
"I'll be there, but they better have something good to eat. I'm a starving bachelor you know," he said, looking at the emptiness inside of his refrigerator.  
  
"Uh huh. See you at 12:30," she said, hanging up.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	7. Chapter 7

The Witness  
  
Chapter 7  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bosco walked into the cafeteria and looked around for Katy. He finally caught site of her on the other side of the room, waved and walked over to the table she had taken over.  
  
"Hey," he said, as he reached her.  
  
"Hey, yourself," she said, looking at him. "You look like crap."  
  
"Well, thanks. And you look really nice too," he said in response to her remark.  
  
"You sure that eye's okay? It looks pretty bad," Katy said, reaching up to gently touch it. Bosco flinched and pulled away.  
  
"Why do people feel the need to touch something they know is already sore?" he said, irritated.  
  
"Sorry, it's a woman thing, I guess," she said, sitting down and motioning for him to take a seat.  
  
Before he sat down, he looked back at the counter at the food. "Um, didn't you say something about eating?" he said as his stomach growled.  
  
"Oh, sorry. Let's go," she said, getting up and grabbing her purse. She followed Bosco up to the counter and they each grabbed a tray. They walked through the line, choosing items to eat and making small talk. When they were done with their selections, they walked up to the register where the clerk began ringing up the food. Bosco reached into his back pocket for his wallet and Katy stopped him.  
  
"Woah. I asked you, remember?" she said, opening her purse and pulling out a twenty dollar bill.  
  
"Okay. If you're sure," Bosco said, letting her pay for his meal. They took their trays and returned to their table.  
  
"So, what did Cole say last night?" Katy asked after a few moments of eating.  
  
"Not much. Just that he didn't want to talk to any cops," Bosco said, thinking back to the conversation. He remembered something and corrected himself. "Actually, he said he COULDN'T talk to any cops, which makes me think even more that he's afraid of something - or someone."  
  
"Hmmm. He didn't say anything else?" she asked him, taking a sip of her coffee.  
  
Bosco shook his head and said, "Nope. That's when he started to lose it and getting loud. I decided to just leave my card and leave so I didn't wake up everyone on the floor."  
  
"Well, at least you tried. Care to give it another shot?" she asked him hopefully.  
  
He looked at his watch to see how much time he had before he had to be to work. He shrugged and said, "Why not?" They both finished their meal and threw away their trash before heading back upstairs for another try at getting to Cole.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco and Katy arrived on the floor and saw one of the detectives from the 5-5 coming out of Cole's room. The detective recognized Bosco and came over to him.  
  
"What's up, Ray?" Bosco asked the other man, shaking his hand.  
  
"I saw your card on the table in the kid's room. You know him?" the detective asked him.  
  
"Not really. My partner and I came to take the report when he was brought in by the medics yesterday," Bosco said. "What'd you find out?" he asked the detective.  
  
"Well, he's not talkin', but we got a witness that puts him outside the store right before the fire started, about the same time as the gunshots were heard," he told Bosco.  
  
"Who's the witness?" asked Katy, drawing a suspicious stare from the detective.  
  
"It's okay," Bosco said. "This is Katy Logan. She's been assigned to the kid's case from Children's Services."  
  
The detective shook Katy's hand and said, "So, do I need to make arrangements for a lawyer for this boy?"  
  
"Well, he's being pretty vague and refusing to answer any questions. It's making him look more and more guilty of something. It may come to that, but for now I'll just wait until the kid gets better," he replied. "Maybe once he's feeling better, he won't be so scared."  
  
Bosco shrugged his shoulders and said, "Mind if I give it another try?"  
  
"Go for it. It can't hurt," Ray replied. "By the way, what the hell happened to your face?"  
  
"Long story," Bosco said and walked toward Cole's room.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Cole looked at the doorway as he noticed someone else entering the room. He tensed up, expecting the detective to be back with more questions. "Look. I told you that I don't know anything about what you're talking ab...," he stopped, noticing that it was the cop from last night.  
  
"What do you want? I told you last night I don't need your help," he said, anger in his voice.  
  
"I know what you're SAYING. I'm just not believing that its what you MEAN," Bosco said, walking closer to him. He noticed that his card was still on the table and thought to himself, "Well, that's a start. At least he didn't throw it away."  
  
"Look. I didn't have the typical Ward and June Cleaver experience either. I'll admit that I didn't have it as bad as you, but I had an old man who was a drunk. He used to come home drunk every night and beat up on me or my mother - who was usually just as drunk as he was. The only thing I was able to do was to take the beatings my old man handed out so that my little brother didn't get them instead," Bosco told him.  
  
"I just want to be left alone. Why can't everybody just leave me alone?" Cole said to him.  
  
"I'd like to leave you alone, Cole. But, I just get a feeling that you could use some help right now. How old are you, Cole?" Bosco asked him.  
  
"What difference does that make?" he answered back.  
  
"Could mean the difference between being tried as an adult or a juvenile," Bosco stated simply, noticing the change come over Cole's face.  
  
"Tried for what?" he asked, looking Bosco in the eye for the first time.  
  
"Ah. I see I got your attention with that one. Look, Cole. I think you're basically a good kid who fell in with the wrong crowd. I know all about your problems with your foster parents and stuff. And I also know that you've been living on the streets for the past couple of years. Aren't you tired of that?" Bosco said.  
  
"It's all I got," he answered quietly, looking down at his lap.  
  
"That's not how it has to be, Cole," came Katy's voice from behind Bosco. Both of them turned their attention to her. Bosco hadn't heard her come in behind him and wondered how much she'd heard.  
  
Katy didn't let on that she'd heard every word of what Bosco had said about his childhood. She'd never heard that about him before and thought to herself that it made sense to her now about the way he behaved - leaving without calling her after their night of lovemaking. She thought that he was just another jerk. Now, she realized that it probably all stemmed from his experiences in a bad home life as a kid and it softened her heart a little.  
  
"What d'you say, Cole? Will you let me and Ms. Logan help you?" Bosco asked him, moving to the side so that Katy could join him at Cole's bedside.  
  
"I don't know what you want to help me with. I told that detective and I'll tell you. I didn't have anything to do with that old couple getting killed in the fire," he said, putting the wall back up.  
  
"Well, hang onto my card," Bosco said, indicating his business card on the table. "It's got my home number on the back. You can call me anytime, Cole. I mean it," he said.  
"I don't think you meant to have anything to do with that couple getting killed and the fire starting. I think you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, with the wrong people. Don't let your distrust of people screw up the rest of your life. You have potential, Cole. You just need to grab onto the hand that's being held out for you," he finished, turning and walking out of the room, followed by Katy, who at some point during his speech had put her hand on the small of Bosco's back.  
*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"Well?" asked the detective outside of Cole's room.  
  
"Well, I don't know," Bosco said. "I don't know if I got through to him or not. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if he calls me. I think he was involved, but I don't think he knew it was going down. And I don't think he was inside the store," Bosco finished.  
  
"Well, as soon as the doctors say he can, he's gonna be moved to the prison hospital ward and charged. I got no choice," said Ray.  
  
"Well, let's hope I can reach him before that happens," Bosco said. He shook Ray's hand and looked at Katy. "I gotta get to work," he said, and Katy noticed the exhausted look on his face.  
  
"You should take the day off. You really do look terrible," she said to him.  
  
He shrugged off her concern and said, "Faith's waiting for me. If I don't come in, she won't leave me alone until I answer the phone. Either way, I won't get any sleep until after my shift anyway," he said, chuckling.  
  
"Call me, Maurice," Katy said to him, leaning in and giving him a hug.  
  
"Will do," Bosco said, turning and walking to the elevator. He pushed the button and when the doors opened, he got in, looking at the floor. Katy watched him until the doors closed.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	8. Chapter 8

The Witness  
  
Chapter 8  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Raven and a bunch of the Latin Lords were sitting in the park across from the hospital. One of his right hand men had just told him that he found out that Cole was in the hospital after the beating from Raven. He also told him that the cops had been trying to talk to him.  
  
"How do you know all this, man?" Raven asked him.  
  
"My sister works there. She was delivering the food trays to the patients and brought him a tray. His face was pretty messed up, but she could tell it was him. And he recognized her too. Got all scared and stuff. She's been watching and she keeps seeing cops and suits going in and out of his room," the other explained.  
  
Raven looked in the direction of the hospital and thought for a moment. "Get me Ronnie. He's the only one that'll be able to get close to him. We gotta make sure he doesn't talk - even if it means killin' him," he said, a smile coming across his face. "It's about time Ronnie got initiated."  
  
The other man nodded to one of the other members and he left to go find Ronnie.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
It had been about a week since Cole was brought into the hospital. The cops and detectives weren't giving up. They kept coming in a couple times a day - even that cop Boscorelli and his girlfriend kept coming to visit him. He kept maintaining his tough exterior, but inside he was terrified. Ever since he'd seen Chenise bring his food tray in that one time. He knew she recognized him and it would just be a matter of time before Raven found out where he was.  
  
He turned as he heard someone entering his room. "Another suit," he thought to himself.  
  
"Cole Taylor?" asked the man in the doorway. "Are you Cole Taylor?"  
  
"Who wants to know?" Cole sneered.  
  
"My name is Anthony Jenkins. I'm a public defender. A Ms. Katy Logan," he said, looking at his notes, "asked me to come and talk to you." Cole just looked at the man with disdain.  
  
"About what?" he finally spit out.  
  
"Well, Mr. Taylor. Apparently, you're gonna be charged in some capacity with the deaths of those two elderly store owners. Now, it's up to you what, if anything, you get charged with. Now, are you ready to talk to me?" asked the attorney, with an attitude that showed Cole he was used to dealing with his kind and wasn't gonna take any crap.  
  
"I already told all them other cops and detectives I didn't have nothin' to do with that," Cole said, not dropping his attitude. It kept him alive this long.  
  
"Well, apparently, the evidence at the scene is proving otherwise. That and the witness that came forward and placed you at the scene at the time of the fire and the gunshots," he said, seeing the change come over Cole's face.  
  
"What witness?" Cole said. "Whoever said that is lying. I told you, I didn't have nothin' to do with it," he said in finality.  
  
The attorney tucked his notebook back into his briefcase and pulled out a business card. "Okay, Cole. You stick with that story. They're gonna move you to the jail ward either today or tomorrow and I'll let you know when your arraignment will be," he said, handing Cole the card. Cole made no move to take the card.  
  
Anthony Jenkins laid his card on the table next to Bosco's and sighed. "Look, Mr. Taylor. Unless you have the means to pay for your own attorney - and from what I know of the case, you don't - you're stuck with me. The more you cooperate, the more chance you have of a short sentence. I get paid by the City whether you help me with your defense or not, so it's no skin off my nose if you go away for a long time. You see, I'm not with a big, Park Avenue law firm. I don't have to keep my partners happy with my success rates. My number's on the card if you need to reach me," he said, turning and walking out of the room.  
  
Anthony Jenkins walked out of Cole's room and nearly collided with a young woman who was standing outside of his room. "Excuse me," he said, stepping around her. Chenise turned to leave. She wanted to let her brother know that he could tell Raven that Cole hadn't talked to anyone so far. She had a soft spot for him. He was only 14, but he had determination.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"Ronnie. Sources tell me that your buddy, Cole, is in the hospital. What do you know about that?" Raven said to the boy, pacing back and forth in front of him.  
  
Ronnie was scared. He knew that he was at a pivotal point in his relationship with the Latin Lords. This situation could either make or break him - or get him killed. "Raven, I heard that someone found him in the alley outside and called for an ambulance. That's all I know. I swear," Ronnie lied. "I watched the medics take him out and he didn't look good at all. I didn't think he'd make it," he added.  
  
"Well, Ronnie. He DID make it and rumor has it that the COPS are trying to get him to talk," Raven said, still pacing. "So, Ronnie. I have an assignment for you. You're gonna go to Mercy and find him, Ronnie. And, you're gonna make sure he doesn't talk. Even if it means takin' him out of the picture, if you get my meaning," Raven said, making eye contact with the boy. Ronnie felt a sick spot forming in his stomach.   
  
"Raven. I'm sure that Cole wouldn't say anything. He knows he'd be dead if he said anything," Ronnie said, trying to reason with him.  
  
"I'm sure you're right, Ronnie. But, if he does talk and it comes down on ME," he said, walking closer to him, "it's gonna come down on YOU. And I know you get my meaning. Now get going," Raven said, dismissing the boy.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco was just coming out of the locker room with Faith. They were headed to the roll call room for briefing when the detective on Cole's case, Ray Thompson, called to him. Bosco and Faith stopped and Bosco indicated that Faith could go ahead. Faith went on to roll call and when she rounded the corner, Bosco turned back to the detective.  
  
"What's up, Ray?" Bosco asked, knowing that it was probably about Cole. He'd been to see him numerous times in the hospital. He even had Faith try a few times. The kid was tough, he'd give him that. But, he was gonna tough himself right into prison.  
  
"Just wanted to let you know that the doctors gave me the okay to move the Taylor kid into the jail ward. He's still not talkin' to me. Did you have any luck with him?" the detective asked him.  
  
Bosco shook his head. "Not yet, but I'm not giving up, Ray. I know that kid didn't have involvement to the extent that he should go away for good for," Bosco said.  
  
"Well, I heard that your friend, Katy Logan, got him a public defender. Let's hope he can talk some sense into him," Ray said.  
  
"Who's the P.D.?" Bosco asked, planning on paying him a visit during their shift.  
  
"Uh," Ray thought for a moment. "Tony Jenkins," he said finally. Bosco knew Jenkins. He was an okay guy. Someone that was approachable. He wasn't burned out on the job yet, but he was getting close.  
  
"Okay, keep me posted will you, Ray?" Bosco said, turning to go to briefing.  
  
"Will do. You do the same," Ray said, turning and walking up the hallway.  
  
Bosco walked into the briefing room and took a seat next to Faith. "Everything okay?" she asked him, noticing that his eye was finally starting to look better. There was just some light discoloration left, but she knew that it still hurt quite a bit. There'd been a few times when he'd bumped it during an arrest and she'd seen him flinch from it.  
  
He shrugged a little, "Not great. They're moving the Taylor kid to the jail hospital ward today. Katy got a P.D. assigned. I gotta get this kid to talk to me, Faith," Bosco said in a whisper as the briefing started.  
  
"We'll figure a way to get to him, Bos," Faith whispered back.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
It was about 3:00 a.m. when Bosco's phone rang, waking him from a sound sleep. "This can't be good news," he thought as he reached for the phone.  
  
"Boscorelli," he said into the phone.  
  
"Bosco? It's Katy," he heard, sitting up at the tension in her voice.  
  
"Katy? What's wrong?" he said, standing up and reaching for his sweats on the chair next to the bed.  
  
"It's Cole Taylor. Apparently, the nurse went in to check on him and he's gone," she told him.  
  
"Gone? What d'you mean, gone?" he asked, trying to shake the sleep from his brain. "You mean, like dead?"  
  
"No, I mean like he's not in the hospital anymore. He left sometime during the night," she said.  
  
"Where are you?" he asked her, walking out into the living room with the cordless phone and grabbing his leather jacket and his keys.  
  
"I'm at my place. I just got the call. Do you have any idea where to look for him?" she said.  
  
"Um... not really. Look, I'm leaving right now. I'll pick you up and we can go look for him together, okay?" Bosco said,  
  
"Okay, I'll be ready," she said, hanging up the phone.   
  
Bosco pushed the off button on the phone and set it on the counter in the kitchen. He walked to his front door and opened it. He looked down at the person lying in his doorway and stopped short.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	9. Chapter 9

The Witness  
  
Chapter 9  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Bosco was pacing in the kitchen area of his apartment. He couldn't believe that the kid had found him. "How the hell did he find me?" he thought to himself as he looked over to see the boy still sleeping soundly on his couch.   
  
There was a light knock on his door and he walked over and looked through the peephole. He opened the door quietly so as not to wake up the boy and let Katy in. He'd called her as soon as he'd gotten Cole into his apartment.  
  
Katy came in and walked over to the sleeping boy. She looked at him and saw that he was sweating. She reached down and felt his forehead. "He's burning up," she said to Bosco. Bosco shrugged, not knowing what to do.   
  
"Should I call for a bus?" he asked her. She shook her head no. "Not yet. They were gonna move him to the jail ward so he must have been okay to be discharged home somewhere had it not been for the case, so let's just wait until he wakes up. Why don't you get me a cool cloth," she suggested. Bosco walked down the hallway to get the cloth and returned with it after he wet it with cool water in the bathroom.   
  
Katy applied the cloth to Cole's forehead. "He sure doesn't look so tough right now, does he?" she asked Bosco.   
  
"Yeah, he looks pretty innocent," he agreed.  
  
"How did he find your place? Did you tell him where you live?" she asked him.  
  
"No. The only thing I can think is that he got out of the hospital before I got off work at 11:30 and he followed me home from there. My precinct number and address is on the card I left him," he reasoned out loud.  
  
"He must trust you, Bosco," Katy said with a smile.  
  
"I guess," Bosco shrugged. They were interrupted by the mumbling that Cole had started. They both leaned over closer to try to make out what he was saying.  
  
"Can't go to the cops... They'll kill me.... I'm dead...." he said, before drifting off again.  
  
"Who'll kill him?" Katy thought out loud.  
  
"What gang did you say he was hanging with?" Bosco asked her.  
  
Katy thought for a second and then said, "Latin Lords, I think."  
  
"There are some pretty rough characters associated with the Lords," Bosco said.   
  
Cole started mumbling again, saying the same things. Katy felt his forehead again and noticed that his hospital clothes were wringing wet. "He's worse, Bosco. Maybe we should call for an ambulance. At least he'll be in the jail, where he'll be safe," she said.  
  
"You think he'll be safe in jail?" Bosco said doubtfully. "Not if the Latin Lords want to get to him, he won't."  
  
"But if he's in the hospital ward of the jail, he'll be isolated and under observation at all times," Katy reminded him. "Besides, he obviously needs more medical attention," she said.  
  
Bosco nodded and walked over to the phone. He dialed 9-1-1 and gave the operator the information and his address. After he hung up from that, he called the precinct while Katy listened.  
  
"Yeah, this is Boscorelli, Shield Number 3379. I need to talk to Detective Ray Thompson," he said, listening to the reply on the other end. "I don't care. Call him at home. This is an emergency. Have him call me at 555-1379," he said, hanging up the phone. He looked over at Katy and said, "You should probably call Tony Jenkins and let him know what's going on." He pushed the button on the coffeemaker he had prepared and watched it begin to brew, the smell of fresh coffee filling the apartment.  
  
Katy nodded and said, "I'll use my cell so I don't tie up your phone when Ray calls back." She dialed the attorney's number and left a message with his service to get hold of him right away and call her back. "You better wet this again," she said, handing Bosco the now-warm cloth.  
*^*^**^*^*^  
Bosco opened the door to let in Alex and Kim who were glad to see that it wasn't Bosco that needed attention. "Hey, Bos. What's going on?" Kim asked.  
  
Bosco gestured toward the couch. "Meet Cole Taylor, recent escapee from Angel of Mercy and the NYPD. Somehow he got out of the hospital undetected and followed me here from the station at the end of my shift, I guess. I found him in my doorway when I opened the door to go out," he explained as Alex started assessing him.   
  
Bosco's phone rang and he went to answer it as Kim and Alex worked on Cole who remained unconscious. "Boscorelli. Yeah, hi Ray. Yes, I know what time it is. Sorry, but, I have someone here you might be interested in," Bosco said, listening to Detective Thompson on the other end. "You guessed it. I have no idea. The medics are here, hold on," he said, putting the phone on his shoulder and turning to Kim.   
  
"Kim, you're transporting, right?" he asked her.  
  
"Absolutely. He's dehydrated and there's some kind of infection going on, I think, which explains the fever. He definitely needs to be in a hospital," she answered. Bosco nodded his understanding and returned to the phone, as Katy's cell phone rang.  
  
"Yeah, they're taking him back to Mercy. Yeah. I'll stay with him until you get there," he said. "Hey, Ray, he mumbled something about being 'them killing him' and not being able to talk to the cops. Yeah, I'll see you soon," Bosco said, hanging up the phone.  
  
Katy hung up at the same time as Bosco. "Tony's on his way to Mercy too. And, ever the lawyer, he says he's invoking Cole's right to an attorney and we're not to question him about anything until he gets there."  
  
Bosco looked over at the unconscious figure being placed on the ambulance stretcher. "I don't think that's gonna be a problem," he said, following Alex and Kim out. "I'm riding in with him," he said to Alex, reaching over and grabbing his jacket off the hook. He looked back at Katy who was turning off the coffee pot.   
  
"I'll clean up here, lock up and I'll meet you over there," she said to him.   
  
"Thanks," he said, pulling the door closed behind him.  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"What do you mean, he's not there anymore?" Raven said into the phone to Cherise.  
  
"I don't know, Raven. He got out somehow. The cops are looking for him too," she said, afraid of just the voice on the other end of the phone.   
  
"Well, keep hangin' around and let me know if you hear anything else," Raven said, slamming the phone down and turning to Ronnie.  
  
"Your friend escaped from the cops. You better find him before the cops do, Ronnie," Raven said, walking away from the scared young man.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	10. Chapter 10

The Witness  
  
Chapter 10  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Cole felt the warmth of a bright light on his face. He heard voices around him. He felt a weight on his body and couldn't for the life of him figure out where he was. He tried as hard as he could to open his eyes, but he was just too tired. He noticed a weird feeling also. "What was the feeling?" he thought to himself. He thought for a while, listening to the soothing sounds of the voices and feeling the warmth of the light. Finally, he realized what the feeling was. Something he hadn't remembered ever feeling. "This must be what it's like to feel safe," he thought to himself again.   
  
He lay there a bit longer, lingering in the feeling of safety. He began to focus on what the voices were saying, trying to see if he could figure out the identity of the voices.  
  
"So, what's that for?" he heard a man's voice ask.  
  
"That's a cooling blanket. It'll help bring his fever down," the young woman's voice replied. "And this is some antibiotic to give him through his intravenous tubing to fight the infection."  
  
"Uh huh. So he's gonna be okay then, right?" the man's voice asked again.  
  
"I think so, but the doctor will be back in just a minute to talk to you," the woman replied again.  
  
"Thanks," replied the man, sounding very tired. Cole thought he recognized the voice, but he just couldn't place it. He knew, however, that it wasn't a voice he should fear. This person, he felt, could be trusted. And then, he realized whom the voice belonged to. It was Officer Boscorelli's voice.   
  
He remembered suddenly what he'd been through in the last few hours. He remembered Chenise coming in to talk to him in the dark. She'd come to warn him that Raven knew where he was and that he was sending someone to take care of him. She said she'd tried to tell him that Cole wouldn't talk to anyone, but that he said he couldn't take the chance. And then she left just as quickly as she came. He remembered back to his night's journey.  
  
############  
  
Cole couldn't believe how easy it was for him to sneak out. But, after a couple of hours outside in the cold, he realized that he was in no shape to be up and around, let alone in 30 degree weather with only a pair of hospital scrubs on. The reason he'd been able to escape so easily was because no one figured he'd even have strength enough to try.   
  
He glanced down at the card in his hand. On it was the name of the cop that had been coming to see him almost every day. He was the only one that didn't push him for information. He seemed to genuinely care about him. Him and that woman he always brought with him. "What was her name?" he thought to himself. "Oh yeah, Katy, Katy Logan, that's it," he remembered. He read the address of the 55th Precinct off the card and slowly made his way there. He'd had to stop and rest more than once, finally reaching the station at about 11:00 p.m. He sat across the street in a darkened doorway - at least it was some protection from the wind - and waited to see the officer go in or out of the station.  
  
He didn't realize he'd dozed off until he heard a voice from the firehouse across the street call over, "Hey Boscorelli! We're going to Haggerty's. You coming?"   
  
Cole looked around, finally catching site of the officer coming down the steps of the stationhouse. He listened to hear his response, saying to himself, "Please go home. Please go home."  
  
Bosco yelled back to the man at the firehouse. "Thanks, Jimmy. But, I'm beat. I'm heading home. Maybe tomorrow." The man acknowledged his reply and turned to return to the firehouse.  
  
Cole got up off the steps and, while staying in the shadows, started to follow Bosco as he drove home. Luckily, the lights were with Cole and he was able to catch up at each block until he followed him to a parking lot. He hung back in the shadows and waited for the officer to get out of his car and enter the building. The door to the apartment building was slow to close and Cole was able to catch it before it closed and locked. He looked on the directory inside the lobby and found Officer Boscorelli's apartment. He climbed the stairs quietly, feeling weaker and weaker. By the time he got to the third floor, he was lightheaded and sweating. He made it to the door and sat down in the doorway to rest.  
  
And now, he was here - wherever that was - and the man was with him.  
##############  
  
He focused again on the conversation between Officer Boscorelli and another man and listened closely.  
  
"Well, Bosco. I'm surprised he made it as far as you say he did. I guess that's determination for you. We're gonna keep him in here overnight, but I suspect that he'll be well enough to transfer over to the jail ward in the morning. I can't imagine that the Detective I saw pacing in the hallway is gonna take a chance on him getting away again...." The man broke off as Cole heard some unusual beeping sounds.  
  
"What's that, Doc?" asked Officer Boscorelli.  
  
"That's his heart monitor. His heart rate is rising. He seems agitated. See how restless he is. He must be starting to wake up," said the man that Cole now knew was the doctor.  
  
"Easy, Son," the doctor tried to soothe him. "You're back at Angel of Mercy and you're in the Emergency Room. You're going to be just fine, you just need to calm down and rest," the doctor continued to no avail.  
  
He felt another hand on his shoulder and then a voice he recognized. "Cole. You're okay. Just relax. It's Officer Boscorelli and I'm here with you. Just relax. I'm not going anywhere," Bosco said, as the boy began to calm down.  
  
"Well, it looks like you've got this under control, Bosco. I've got a couple of other patients to see so I'll leave you to it," the doctor said, leaving the room.  
  
"Okay, Cole. It's just you and me now. You need to just relax. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," he said as he stood next to Cole's bed and looked up as Katy walked in the room with some fresh coffee.  
  
Slowly, Cole tried and succeeded in opening his eyes. He focused in on the room and realized that the light was from the overhead light and the heaviness on his body was the blanket. He shivered slightly and looked over at Bosco.  
  
"Hey, Cole. Welcome back," said Bosco with a smile. Cole noticed how tired he looked.  
  
"Can't go to jail," Cole managed to get out. "They'll kill me," he said.  
  
"Who, Cole? Who'll kill you?" Bosco asked him, trying to keep Cole awake long enough to get some answers. Bosco looked up as the monitors began showing an elevated heart rate again.  
  
"Cole, you're going to the hospital ward in the jail. You'll be isolated from everyone else. No one will be able to get to you, but you've gotta let me help you. That's why you showed up at my door tonight, right? You want me to help you? Well, I want to help you. Let me help you, Cole," Bosco said as Cole drifted to sleep again.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Katy and Bosco were still sitting in Cole's room. Bosco was dozing in the chair next to Cole's bed as Katy was doing some paperwork. She looked over at her friend and watched him sleep for a moment. He opened his eyes and caught her looking at him and sat up.  
  
"What? Is he awake again?" he asked, shaking the sleep from his brain.  
  
"No," Katy said, shushing him. "But you had a nice little nap," she added smugly.  
  
"Yeah. I didn't drool or anything, did I?" he asked, self-conscious at falling asleep with her there.  
  
"Well, I wiped it off your chin twice," she said, joking with him.  
  
"Very funny. What're we gonna do about him?" Bosco asked, looking over at Cole. "He's scared to death that someone's gonna get to him. So scared that he's still not talking," Bosco said.  
  
"Well, he came to you. That's a start. We'll just have to work on gaining the rest of his trust," Katy said, standing up. "I've got a couple of court cases today, so I've gotta head home to shower and change," she said, as Bosco stood up and walked over to her.  
  
"Okay. I'm not working today, so I'll hang here until he wakes up again. I talked Thompson into not moving him until he wakes up and I can talk to him again," Bosco said. "Thanks for hanging around here with me tonight," he said to her, putting a hand on her elbow.  
  
"Thanks for letting me," she replied. "I'll call you later to see how things go. If something else happens and you need me, page me and I'll call you right back," Katy said, looking back at Cole again.  
  
"Will do," he said, and they stood together in awkward silence for a moment.  
  
Finally, Katy said, "Has anyone ever told you what a great guy you really are?" She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, catching him off guard.  
  
"Thanks," he said, blushing slightly. "I'll call you later. Drive carefully."  
  
"Will do," she said, turning to grab her briefcase and walking out the door.  
  
Bosco watched her go and then turned back to Cole. "What do I have to do to gain your trust?" he thought to himself as he walked back over and sat down again.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	11. Chapter 11

The Witness  
  
Chapter 11  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bosco was standing outside of Cole's room talking to the guard that had been posted there. Detective Thompson wasn't taking a chance on the boy disappearing again. Cole heard him talking and joking with the man outside.  
  
"Yeah, well I think Sehorn's doing a great job. I'll talk to you later," Bosco said as he looked in the room and saw that Cole was awake. He walked in, taking a sip of the coffee he'd just gotten from the cafeteria.  
  
"Hey. You're lookin' a lot better than you did last night. How're you feeling?" Bosco asked the young man before him.  
  
"I'm okay. What's gonna happen now? I see I'm not free to leave," Cole said with attitude.  
  
"Well, I don't think you're in any position to be givin' me attitude, my man," Bosco said, walking around the bed to look at his face. "Now, how about tellin' me how you found me last night."  
  
Cole shrugged then said, "It was easy. I followed you home from work."  
  
"Okay. Now, why? Why didn't you just call me? I told you I would've come if you called," he said.  
  
"I had to get out of here. People were coming for me," Cole finally admitted.  
  
"Yeah, I got that impression by what you were mumbling last night. Who's coming for you?"  
  
"Mumbling? What'd I say?" Cole asked, alarmed that he'd said too much.  
  
"Nothing much. Just that you couldn't talk to the cops and that you were dead," Bosco told him, waiting for some kind of reaction from him that never came.  
  
Bosco put his coffee cup down and leaned on the bed rail. "Cole. You obviously want me to help you or you wouldn't have gone to the trouble of following me to my apartment. Now, are you gonna let me help you or not?"  
  
"Why should I trust you?" Cole asked him and Bosco could see by the look in his eye that he didn't trust anyone but himself.  
  
"Because I'm here. I don't see anyone else here, do you?" he replied. As soon as he'd finished talking, Bosco and Cole heard a light rap on the door. They looked over to see Detective Thompson in the doorway.  
  
Bosco said, "Good morning, Ray. Can you give me a couple of minutes here?" Ray nodded and backed away from the door to talk to the guard, out of earshot of Bosco and Cole.  
  
Bosco lowered his voice and said, "Cole, it's crunch time. You gotta tell me what's going on so I can help you. That man out there you've met before. Detective Thompson is his name in case you don't remember. He's been giving you the benefit of the doubt while at the same time trying to do his job. Any other suspect would have been sent to jail long before now. He's doing it partly because he's a good guy, but mostly he's doing it for me."  
  
"So, what's gonna happen to me?" Cole said, some of the wall he had built around himself breaking away.  
  
"Well, that all depends on what you tell me about what happened at that store the other day. Now, I don't think you were involved to the extent that the evidence and witness is showing, but I gotta hear it from you," Bosco said calmly. He'd made his speech. It was up to Cole now.  
  
After a moment, Cole looked at Bosco and quietly told him the story. "You gotta believe me," he said, tears coming to his eyes.  
  
"Okay. That's a start," Bosco said, "I'm gonna go talk to Detective Thompson. It's good that you told me, Cole. It's real good and I'm gonna do everything I can to help you. Do you believe that?"  
  
"Yes, Officer Boscorelli. I do," Cole said.  
  
"Alright. And, you can call me Bosco. All my friends do," he said, stepping around the bed to go out and talk to Ray.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
"I believe him, Ray," Bosco said to the other man. "This kid was in the wrong place at the wrong time, with the wrong people. I think I can get him to cooperate and testify. We just gotta keep him safe."  
  
The detective thought for a moment and finally said. "Okay. We move him to the jail hospital ward and keep him isolated until we can grab this Raven guy up. You better get his P.D. in here too."  
  
"Thanks, Ray. This is the right thing," Bosco said, turning to go and tell Cole what was going on.  
  
"Boscorelli. He needs to understand that this is serious. These guys play for keeps. He needs to cooperate all the way or don't bother," warned the detective.   
  
"I know," Bosco said simply and walked into Cole's room.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco and Faith had gotten their radios and were heading to their RMP following roll call.  
  
"So, you got the kid to talk finally?" Faith said to her partner as they got into the car.  
  
"Yeah. It wasn't easy and he's plenty scared. Can't say as I blame him. I ran this guy Raven through the computer and he's one bad-ass," Bosco told her.  
  
"But you got him to open up to you, Bos. That's good," she said.  
  
"Yeah. He's in the jail hospital ward right now. He's cooperating and Jenkins is with him. They're trying to work out a deal to get him out of jail for cooperating and into a rehab program," he told her.  
  
"That's good, but he's gonna need a lot of support. Are you ready to do that? You're all he's got right now," Faith asked as Bosco pulled away from the police station to start their shift.  
  
After a minute he said, "Yeah, Faith. I think I am. This is a good kid who's had a lot of bad luck, starting when he was born," Bosco said as their radio came alive with their first call of the shift.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	12. Chapter 12

The Witness  
  
Chapter 12  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Cole had survived his time in the hospital ward of the jail. His lawyer had succeeded, with the combined help of Detective Raymond Thompson and Officer Maurice Boscorelli, in convincing the District Attorney that Cole would cooperate and assist in any way he could to get the people responsible for the crime off the street. The District Attorney had agreed to place Cole in a secure drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility north of the City. Bosco had been out to see him twice in the last week to see how he was settling in and it seemed to be going fine. There were a few rough characters, but basically he'd been able to hold his own.  
  
"I need to stop in and see the Lieutenant before we go on patrol," Bosco had said to Faith.  
  
"Okay. Everything okay?" she asked him.  
  
He nodded, but had a somewhat nervous look on his face. "I need you to be there too, okay?" he said.  
  
"You're scaring me, Bosco. Are you sure everything's okay?"  
  
"Yeah. It's just... Well, you'll see. It's good. Really," he said as they approached the Lieutenant's office. Bosco knocked on the door and waited for an answer.  
  
"Enter," came the reply from inside. Bosco took a deep breath, opened the door and walked in with Faith behind him.  
  
"Boscorelli, Yokas. What's can I do for you?" said Lieutenant Swersky, looking up from his mound of paperwork.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt you, Sir," Bosco started. "But, I was wondering if I could talk to both you and Faith for a minute."  
  
This got the Lieutenant's attention and he looked over at Faith who gave him a 'I have no idea what this is about' look. He put his papers down and sat up at his desk, motioning for the two officers to take a seat in the chairs in front of him. Bosco and Faith sat down.  
  
Both the Lieutenant and Faith looked at Bosco waiting for him to begin. "Sir, Faith, you know what's been going on with this kid from the murders and fire at the bodega a couple of weeks ago," he started. They both nodded.  
  
"Well, as you know I was one of the people responsible for getting him into the rehab facility Upstate. And, well, I've been talking to his counselors there and with Katy Murphy from Children and Family Services," he said, looking from the Lieutenant to Faith and pausing.  
  
"Bosco?" Faith said, gently pushing him to continue.  
  
"Uh, yeah. Well, I've decided to become Cole's guardian," he said, waiting for their reaction.  
  
"Boscorelli. Are you sure this is something you've given enough thought to?" the Lieutenant asked him. "I mean, this isn't just a puppy dog. This is an actual human being - a messed up one at that. This kid is gonna need a lot from you. Are you sure you're ready for that?"  
  
"This decision did not come easily to me, Sir. I've thought long and hard about it. I've talked to a lot of people to find out what exactly is involved and what my role in this kid's life would be and, yes, Sir. I think I am ready for it," he said with confidence. He looked over at his partner and saw the smile on her face.  
  
"Faith?" he said to her. "What do you think?"  
  
"I think it's great Bosco. I know that you've been thinking about this for a while now and I'm glad. I think both you and Cole would benefit from this. I'm behind you one hundred percent," Faith said.  
  
"Okay. So, what's next?" asked the Lieutenant. "I'm assuming you're here because you need something from me as your immediate supervisor, am I right?"  
  
"Yes, Sir," Bosco said, pulling two folded up pieces of paper out of his pocket and handing one to his boss and one to his partner.  
  
"This paper has instructions for those that I ask to vouch for my character and my employment status. It requires that I get a letter from four people, preferably split between co-workers and friends, stating my fitness to undertake guardianship of Cole. There's an address on the paper there that says where to mail it. I'd appreciate it if you would both do a letter for me - only if you feel that it would be in Cole's best interest," he said, sitting back and taking a deep breath.  
  
The Lieutenant read over the piece of paper and then stood up and looked up at Bosco. When the Lieutenant stood up, so did Faith and Bosco out of respect for a senior officer. Lieutenant Swersky held out a hand to Bosco and shook it.  
  
"Boscorelli. If you had asked me for this even six months ago, I would have declined. However, you've come a long way in the last year and I believe that both you and Cole Taylor would benefit from this guardianship. I'll get started on this letter today and mail it out by tomorrow. Is that soon enough?" he said.  
  
"Thank you, Sir. Yes, that's fine. Thank you, Sir," Bosco said again, returning the handshake. The two officers turned to leave to start their shift.  
  
After Bosco shut the door to the Lieutenant's office behind him, he finally exhaled the breath that he seemed to be holding the entire time. Faith put a hand on his arm and said, "Bosco, I think it's fanstastic. I'm really happy for you. Whatever you need from me, you've got."  
  
"Thanks, Faith. Do you think I'm doing the right thing?" he asked her as they walked to their RMP.  
  
"Yeah, Bos. Yeah, I do," she said as they got in and started their shift.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"So, who else are you gonna ask to do a letter for you?" Faith asked Bosco about halfway through their busy shift.  
  
"I'm not sure. I was thinkin' of asking Doc. You think he'd do it?" Bosco asked her.  
  
"Why not? You've never had any problems with him, right?" Faith said. Bosco nodded.  
  
"You want to see if we can meet up with them for dinner?" Faith suggested.  
  
"Yeah. That'd be good," Bosco said grabbing his radio to ask the dispatcher to find out Doc's location. A few minutes later they had arrived at the diner that Doc and Carlos were eating at and the parked and walked in.  
  
"Hey guys," Bosco said as they approached their table.  
  
"Hey. Are you guys having as busy a night as us?" Doc replied as he and Carlos moved over to make room for Faith and Bosco.  
  
"It's brutal tonight. All the whacks are out tonight," Faith said, grabbing a menu as the waitress came over to take their order. Faith and Bosco ordered and the waitress left to get their meals and drinks.   
  
The four all made small talk during their meals and were having coffee. Bosco was still trying to figure out a way to talk to Doc without Nieto hearing it. He didn't need it blabbed all over before anything was finalized. Faith must have sensed what Bosco was thinking because all of a sudden she said, "Hey Carlos, you got grease from your burger on your jacket. You better go into the bathroom and see if you can get it off before it eats a hole in your jacket." Everyone looked at her as if she was nuts and then she added, "I'm serious. These places use some kind of industrial grease on the grill and the stuff will eat through fabric - imagine what it does to your stomach."  
  
Carlos took a quick drink of his water as if to dilute the grease that was in his stomach as Doc and Bosco tried to keep a straight face. Carlos then got up and headed for the bathroom to try to get the grease off his jacket.  
  
"You guys are bad," Doc said, chuckling.  
  
"Yeah, well I wanted to talk to you without Mr. Mouth around to hear it," Bosco said.   
  
Bosco explained everything to Doc and when he was done he waited for Doc's reply. "Well, Bosco. This certainly came out of the blue, but I think it's a great idea. I'm all for anyone trying to help out a kid like Cole Taylor. I'll get started on it between calls and probably have a final draft in the mail tomorrow. When do you find out for sure?" Doc said.  
  
"Well, I have to get at least one more person, but I don't know who to ask," Bosco said.  
  
Doc paused for a minute thinking and then said, "You know, I have someone in mind, but you're probably not gonna think it's a good idea."  
  
"What do you mean? Who?" Bosco asked his friend as he looked over at Carlos coming out of the Men's room and chatting up the waitress at the counter.  
  
"Aw, you gotta be kiddin' me!" Bosco almost yelled. "Who's gonna take him seriously?"  
  
"You'd be surprised how much influence a kid from the system has on the system," Doc said.  
  
"What d'you mean?" asked Faith.  
  
"Carlos was brought up in the system. He's had foster parents since he was young. I'm sure he'd be sympathetic to what you want to do and he'd probably help you without question. Sure, you might take some ribbing for a few minutes, but I know he'd do it," Doc said. "And I'd make sure he kept his mouth shut about it," he added as Carlos came back to the table.  
  
"Mouth shut about what?" Carlos asked, picking up on the end of the conversation. Bosco and Faith exchanged looks and Faith gave him a look that said, "Can't hurt."  
  
"Look, Carlos. Remember that kid you guys brought in that got beat up in the alley a couple of weeks ago. The one that was involved with that bodega fire that killed the elderly couple?" Carlos shook his head that he remembered.  
  
"Well, I'm filing for guardianship and I need some references. Doc here said that you'd probably be willing to help me out by writing a letter and sending it in on my behalf," Bosco said, waiting for the insults to start.  
  
After a moment of thinking, Carlos replied. "Bosco, you know I think you're pretty messed up most of the time. But, I've seen a difference in you since 9/11. I think it'd be a great idea and I'd be more than happy to write a letter for you."  
  
Everyone was shocked into silence for a moment, until Bosco reached across the table to shake Carlos' hand. "Thanks, Man. I appreciate it more than you'll know," Bosco said.  
  
"Just don't do wrong by this kid, Bos. It's too important," Carlos said.  
  
"I know. Thanks," he said, handing him the sheet of paper with the information on it. And then everyone's radios crackled with their next call and everyone threw money on the table and headed for their vehicles.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	13. Chapter 13

The Witness  
  
Chapter 13  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Thanks for coming with me, Faith. Katy had a custody case to testify at and I didn't want this to wait," Bosco said, looking over at Faith in the passenger seat.  
  
"No problem, Bos. Emily's at her friends house for the weekend and Fred took Charlie camping - not my thing," she said, making a face of disgust.  
  
"I just didn't want to drag you into the middle of something you didn't want to be in," Bosco said, squinting as the sun came out from behind a cloud. He flipped his sun visor down.  
  
"It's a beautiful day for a drive anyway. And if I didn't want to be involved, I'd have said no," she said matter of factly.  
  
"Yeah, right. Like you ever say 'no' to anyone," he teased her.  
  
"Yeah, well. Anyway, did they say what may be causing Cole's outbursts?" she asked him referring to the phone call he received from the rehab center saying that Cole had had a couple of altercations over the last couple of days.  
  
"No. I hope it's nothing major. He seemed to be getting along so well until now. I was going to tell him about being his guardian, but I guess I'll wait to see what's going on first," he said. "Here we are," he told her as he turned off the highway onto a side road.  
  
"It's beautiful up here," she said, noticing all the trees and then the landscaping as they approached the facility. She read the sign as they entered the lot, "Shady Haven." "Corny, but most of the names of these places were. As long as the care and treatment are good, who cares," Faith thought to herself.  
  
"Yeah, I know. I hate the name too," Bosco said with a smile, reading her mind. She laughed as Bosco maneuvered into a parking space.   
  
They both got out and walked toward the entrance. As they entered Faith said, "Maybe I should wait here until you talk to him. You know, don't want him to think we're ganging up on him," she reasoned.  
  
"Yeah, maybe you're right. I'll be quick," he said as he went to the desk and signed in. Faith walked over to the lounge area and looked through the magazines. She watched as Bosco clipped the visitors tag to his jacket and followed the woman down the hallway.   
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco was led to Cole out on the patio at one of the picnic tables. He was reading a book, the sun shining on him. He looked up at the sound of someone approaching and saw Bosco.  
  
"They told me that they called you," he said in an angry tone.  
  
"Yeah? Well, I was coming up today anyway, remember? So don't think I'm coming just because of that," Bosco said to him, wondering what he'd done to deserve Cole's angry tone.  
  
Cole didn't reply, but went back to his book. Bosco took a seat at the table across from him. "So, what's going on? You look great. You got a good tan going there," he said, making small talk to draw him out.   
  
"Nothing much. Yeah, not much to do here besides get analyzed and soak up the sun," he said sarcastically.  
  
"Cole. What's the problem? Is someone here giving you crap?" Bosco asked gently.  
  
"You have no idea. You're living your life. You get up every day with a purpose and go and do your job. You get a paycheck and come home every night and do whatever it is that you want to do. So, don't even pretend like you can understand," he said, his words full of frustration.  
  
Bosco nodded and took a deep breath. "You get up every day with a purpose too, Cole. Remember? To get well and to be able to come back and live your life and do whatever it is that YOU want to do. As far as getting a paycheck, you earn money here with the jobs they give you. You get to use it, right?" he asked him.  
  
"Where!?" Cole yelled at him. "It's not like I can go to a store or anything. I'm stuck here, 24-7, with no one to talk to until you come up. And, I know you can't come up every weekend. I know that, but I can't stand being here anymore. I need to get out of here!" he said, drawing some attention from the staff.   
  
Bosco looked at the staff and indicated that everything was okay. "Look, Cole. I understand. I really do, but you need to work on getting better. How about if I talk to your doctor about going out tonight for dinner. They allow some outpatient time, right?" he said.  
  
Cole shrugged. "Faith's with me. She wanted to come with me and see you today. She's out in the lobby. Want to go find her with me?" he said. Cole nodded and the two stood up and walked down the hallway.   
  
"The doctor told me last time that you're doing really well. You just need to hang in there and work a little longer and you'll be able to come home," Bosco encouraged him.  
  
"It's just hard. Sometimes I think jail would have been better. I'd probably be out by now," he said, a catch in his voice.  
  
"Out where, Cole? Back on the streets? You saw where that landed you. There's people that want to help you. People like me," Bosco said as they reached the lobby where Faith was. "Why don't you visit with Faith for a little bit. I'm gonna see if I can talk to your doctor about tonight, okay?" Cole nodded as Faith walked over to him. Bosco told her what he was going to do and Cole and Faith headed back toward the courtyard.  
  
Bosco went over to the desk and talked to the woman about seeing Cole's doctor. She picked up the phone, made a call and told Bosco he could go down the hallway on the left to Dr. Hanson's office.  
  
"Thanks," Bosco said, heading off down the hallway.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"So, Doctor Hanson, how is Cole doing? He seems a little down to me," Bosco said.  
  
"Well, Officer Boscorelli..," he started as Bosco interrupted him.  
  
"I'm not here as Officer Boscorelli, Doc. I'm here as Maurice Boscorelli, Bosco, friend of Cole Taylor," he said.  
  
"Very well, Mr. Boscorelli. Cole had been making some great progress, but he seems to have fallen into some kind of a depression. I'm not sure what's causing it, but I'm working on it. From what I can tell, he feels abandoned. It's different than living on the streets. He feels like he's been put here and left. Sure, he knows you come up as often as you can, but it's not like he can go and see you whenever he feels like it. He can't just come and go like he's done for as long as he can remember. It's causing him to act out - which explains the last couple of incidents. But, while I can understand his feelings, I can't let him act out. It's detrimental to both his treatment as well as to those around him," the doctor explained.  
  
"I understand. Do you think it'd be better if he came back with me? I've filed to be his legal guardian. I'm ready to take on the responsibility of his care and well being," Bosco told the doctor.  
  
He nodded. "Yes, I just received the paperwork on that and I'm glad that you're doing that. Have you discussed it with him yet?"  
  
"I was planning on doing that today, but after talking to him, I wanted to talk to you about it first. My sense is that he feels like he's a prisoner here and that's the last thing I wanted for him. I want him to feel like we're trying to help him. You know, get him off on the right foot to being able to live by himself and earn a living. I was wondering if it would be possible for me and my partner, Faith Yokas, to take him to town for dinner tonight. Just a quick dinner and then back here. I was planning on talking to him about coming to stay with me when he's discharged from here at dinner. Is that possible?" Bosco asked the doctor.  
  
The doctor thought for a moment and finally said, "I don't see a problem with that. As long as it isn't too long of an outing. Just dinner and then back here. And, if you notice him getting upset about what you're going to tell him, stop and come back right away. We don't want to wreck any progress we've made in his treatment. And, of course, no alcohol - that means for you or your partner either," he warned.  
  
"Absolutely. We'll make it a quick, quiet night. Thanks, Doc," Bosco said, standing up and shaking the doctor's hand. "Any idea how much longer he'll have to stay here?" he added.  
  
"He's close, Maurice. He's very close. We just have to keep a close eye on him," the doctor said.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Cole seemed to be in a little better mood since Bosco had told him that he had permission to take him off the grounds for dinner. "So, what do you want to eat?" Bosco asked him. "What kinds of food do you miss the most?"  
  
"Hmmmm. Let me think. Pizza! That's it. I haven't had a decent pizza since I've been here," Cole said.  
  
"Pizza!? That's it? Very glamerous," Faith teased him, causing the first smile they'd seen from Cole all day.  
  
"Pizza it is!" Bosco announced as they finished signing him out on a pass and headed to Bosco's car. Faith climbed into the back to allow Cole to take in the fresh air and scenery. They drove into town and found a nice Italian restaurant to eat at that boasted authentic New York City-style pizza.  
  
"We'll be the judge of that, right?" Bosco said to Cole.  
  
"Fuggettaboutit," Cole joked in the thickest Brooklyn accent he could muster. All three chuckled as they headed in to get a table.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
They'd had a nice dinner and were just finishing up dessert when Bosco said, "Cole, there's something I wanted to talk to you about today. I talked to your doctor and he said that it'd be a good time to talk about it." Bosco fiddled with the fork on the table until Faith nudged him under the table to get him going again.  
  
"This sounds serious," Cole said, getting a little nervous.  
  
"It's really a good thing, Cole," Faith said happily. "At least I think so. I hope you will too."  
  
Bosco cleared his throat and decided to dive right in. "I've filed to become your legal guardian, Cole," he said, looking to try and read Cole's reaction. He saw a frown form on his forehead.  
  
"You did what?!" Cole said a little loudly.  
  
"I want you to come and stay with me when you get out of Shady Haven. I want to be your legal guardian," Bosco repeated.  
  
"I don't need a guardian. I've taken care of myself for a long time and I'll continue to," Cole said, standing up to leave.  
  
"Cole," Bosco said as he and Faith stood up also. Bosco threw money down on the table to cover the bill and the three walked out to Bosco's car.  
  
"Cole. They're not gonna let you just walk out of here and go on your merry way. You're a minor. You're only 15 years old. And, you're a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. Now, I don't want to hang that over your head, but how long do you think you can take the pressure of living on your own before you revert back to that life?" Bosco said, regretting it as soon as he'd said it. Cole bolted and started running.  
  
"Dammit!" Bosco said under his breath. He tossed his keys to Faith and started running after the boy. "Cole! Come back. Let's talk about it," he yelled, trying to catch up to him. Faith started the car and began to follow them.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	14. Chapter 14

The Witness  
  
Chapter 14  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Faith pulled back into a parking spot in front of the Rehab Center, hoping to see Cole and Bosco waiting for her. Cole had taken off into the woods near the restaurant with Bosco right behind him and Faith lost them after that. She parked the car and went inside to the desk.  
  
She asked if Bosco and Cole had returned to the Center and was told that Cole had not signed back in. The receptionist at the counter asked Faith if she knew where Cole was and, not wanting to get him in trouble, said, "They decided to walk back from the restaurant. They were talking about some things." She hoped that her lie didn't show on her face, but from the look she received back she was pretty sure that the woman was suspicious. Faith walked over and took a seat in the waiting room. She looked at her watch and then back outside at the falling darkness. She shivered slightly as she realized that the temperature was beginning to drop and remembered Bosco's jacket still in the car.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco followed the sounds of Cole as he quickly walked through the woods. Luckily, it wasn't too heavily wooded so that some of the moonlight was shining through and he could see where he was walking.  
  
"Cole!" he called out again. "Just stop and talk to me, would you? If you don't want me to be your guardian, that's fine, but let's just talk about it. It doesn't have to be a bad thing."  
  
Cole continued walking while he listened to Bosco. He couldn't believe that his fate had been decided without his input. "How dare these people make decisions that would affect the rest of his left without talking to him about it. Didn't they realize that he'd been taking care of himself for just about all his life?" he thought to himself. He heard what Bosco was saying and he knew that he only wanted to help him, but what if he agreed to this and Bosco tried to take over everything. He wasn't sure that he could live like that.   
  
After a few more minutes, he couldn't hear Bosco behind him anymore and he slowed down. Maybe he lost him. Or, maybe Bosco got lost or hurt. He stopped and sat on a fallen tree and listened. He heard nothing but the sounds of the crickets. It was quiet and lonely. He had to admit that he hadn't felt lonely since Bosco had been around. He just sat and thought about things for a little while as it became darker and darker. He felt the temperature dropping and felt cold. He hadn't worn a jacket because it was so warm when they left the Center and he knew he'd be in Bosco's car.   
  
He was brought back from his thoughts to his surroundings when he heard some twigs snapping. Then he heard Bosco's voice off to his left.  
  
"Cole! Where are you? Are you okay?"   
  
He thought that Bosco had given up and gone back to the restaurant - back with Faith. He looked at the silhouette of Officer Maurice Boscorelli against the moonlight for a moment. "I guess it couldn't hurt to give it a try. At least it'll get me out of this place," he thought to himself.   
  
"Cole! Dammit! Are you still around here?"  
  
"I'm right here," Cole replied quietly, startling Bosco who turned toward his voice.  
  
"Why did you take off like that?" Bosco said with some irritation in his voice. He took a couple of steps toward Cole and Cole noticed that he was limping.  
  
"Are you okay?" Cole asked him.  
  
"What? Yeah, I just twisted my ankle. What's going on?" Bosco asked him, slightly out of breath. "Why'd you take off like that?"  
  
Cole looked off into the distance and thought for a moment and Bosco sat on the log alongside him.   
  
Finally, Cole said, "I'm just not sure about all this. I've been on my own a long time, Bosco. I don't know if I could handle someone telling me what I'm gonna do."  
  
"I understand that. I'm not saying that's what's gonna happen. I'm talking about you having somewhere to live - somewhere to call home. You'll have a warm bed, food to eat, and most of all you'll be safe. I'm not saying it's gonna be easy. I've been on my own for a long, long time too. I just wanna give you a little bit of what every kid should have growing up - someone who cares about you and wants you to be safe. Someone you can talk to, bounce problems off of. That's all," Bosco explained as best he could.  
  
"But, I just feel like all these decisions are being made without me knowing about it. You come here today and tell me that you're going to be my guardian," he said. "I mean, what am I supposed to think?"  
  
"Whoa. You didn't let me finish. This is NOT a done deal, Cole. That's why I brought it up. I'm asking you if that's something you'd be interested in. I just started the paperwork on it because your doctor said it wouldn't be that much longer that you'd have to stay here. Think about it. You don't have to make a decision today. I just wanted you to have somewhere to go when the time came," Bosco said, rubbing his ankle and feeling the swelling.  
  
Cole noticed Bosco rubbing his ankle and stood up. "You gonna be able to walk on that?"  
  
"Yeah," Bosco said, shrugging as he started to stand up. As soon as he put the foot down on the ground to take a step, he felt the pain shoot up through his lower leg. "Ow!"  
  
"Do you think Faith's still driving around?" Cole asked him as he moved to Bosco's side to offer support.  
  
"Nah. She's probably waiting back at the Center. Either that or she's busy calling out the crews for a ground and air search. She's a mother and they over-react," Bosco kidded as he put an arm around Cole's shoulder and the two headed out of the woods.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Faith continued to read the magazines while she looked out the window and tried to avoid the looks from the woman at the desk. Finally, she felt a presence approaching and looked up to see Cole's doctor walking toward her.  
  
"Officer Yokas. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to insist on calling the authorities about Cole's absence unless you can give me a good enough reason to wait," the doctor said.  
  
"I'm sure that they are on their way back, Doctor," Faith answered. "Bosco mentioned to him about becoming his guardian and he got upset. He ran off and Bosco followed him. I'm sure that if there was a problem, Bosco would have called to let us know," she said as the front door opened and they both turned to see Cole assisting Bosco into the building.  
  
"Bosco!" Faith said, standing up and rushing over to help Cole. "What happened?"  
  
Cole and Faith helped Bosco to a chair and the doctor came over also after speaking to the woman at the counter. "Officer Boscorelli, what happened to you?"  
  
Bosco looked at Cole and then spoke. "Cole and I were walking back and talking. I wasn't paying attention and I stepped in a hole or something and twisted my ankle. It's pretty sore and swollen, but Cole helped me all the way," he answered as the woman came back with two blankets and put them around Cole and Bosco to warm them up.  
  
"Well, let's get that ankle checked out, Officer," the doctor said, picking up the phone and calling for assistance. "We have a full clinic right here in the building, including an x-ray unit."  
  
Faith returned with two cups of hot chocolate out of the vending machine on the other side of the lobby and handed them to Bosco and Cole. "Is everything okay?" she asked, looking first at Cole and then to Bosco.  
  
"Well, we talked and got a couple of things straightened out. Cole's gonna think about things and...," Bosco said, but was interrupted by Cole.  
  
"Yeah," Cole said gruffly and Bosco and Faith looked at him.  
  
"Yeah what?" Bosco asked, reaching down to rub his ankle.  
  
"Yeah, I'll do it, I guess," he said with attitude.  
  
"Yeah, well don't do me any favors," Bosco replied with irritation and half-joking as he tried to lighten the moment. An orderly came with a wheelchair and Cole and Faith started to follow.  
  
"Just a minute, young man," the doctor said. "We have a few things to discuss; one of which is your late arrival back here tonight. I'm told that you got upset while you were out and I'd like to discuss things with you. Come into my office while Officer Boscorelli gets his ankle x-rayed."  
  
Cole looked at Bosco who nodded for Cole to go ahead with the doctor. "I'll see you in a few minutes Cole. It'll be okay," he assured him.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	15. Chapter 15

The Witness  
  
Chapter 15  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Bosco and Faith were traveling home. Faith was driving as Bosco sat in the passenger seat, his foot wrapped in an ace bandage, his crutches and x-rays laying on the back seat. He adjusted the ice pak on his ankle and Faith looked over to see the pained look cross his face.  
  
"You know, you might feel better if you went in the back seat and elevated your foot," Faith said to him in the dim light of the dashboard.  
  
"I don't want you to get lonely," he quipped.  
  
"Well, then by all means, stay there and be in pain and let the swelling get worse," she answered back.  
  
His foot slipped off his other knee where it was propped and hit against the glove compartment. "OW!" he yelled, making Faith jump. "Okay! Pull over so I can get in the back," he finally said. Faith pulled the car over and Bosco hobbled out and into the back seat. She waited until he was situated, with his foot propped up on his coat and then pulled back out onto the highway.  
  
After a few minutes she said, "Any better?"  
  
"Yeah, it's not throbbing so much," he answered. "Man, Swersky's gonna kill me when I tell him I'm out of work. How long do you think?"  
  
"Depends on the what the bone doctor says. Cole's doctor said he thought he saw a fracture, but wanted you to see a bone doctor. You want to go right to Mercy when we get back?" Faith asked.  
  
He thought for a moment and looked at his watch. 10:00 p.m. "Nah. Just drop me off at home and take my car to your place. It's not like I'll be driving it for a while. I'll take a cab in the morning to the doctor," he said.  
  
"No, you'll call me in the morning and I'll pick you up and bring you. Don't forget to call the boss in the morning so he has time to juggle the schedule around for our shift," she reminded him. "Did you take one of those pills the doctor gave you for the pain?" She didn't get an answer and looked in the rearview mirror to see him sound asleep. "Guess so," she said to herself and turned the radio on for the remainder of the ride home.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
She pulled up in front of Bosco's apartment an hour later and turned off the car. She got out and opened the back door. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty. I'm not carrying your butt up the stairs so get up," she said, taking his crutches off the back floor and getting them ready as he woke up.  
  
He rubbed his face and sat up. "Man, those are some good pills," he said. "Sorry I zonked out on you."  
  
"No problem. Can you make it up the stairs?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah," he said, getting himself balanced and starting up the steps to his apartment. Faith followed him up to make sure that he didn't fall and got him settled on the couch. "You want something to eat before I take off?" she asked him.  
  
"I think there's some leftover pizza in the fridge. Just slap a piece of that on a plate. I'm gonna go to bed, I think," he answered her. "You want something?"  
  
"No, I ate at the rest stop when I got gas," she said.  
  
"What rest stop?" he asked her. She smiled at him and said, "The one you slept through."   
  
"Why didn't you wake me up? Let me give you money for the gas," he said, leaning forward to get his wallet out of his back pocket.   
  
"I tried to wake you up, but those pills must be potent. Don't worry about the gas. I got it," she said.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
She opened the door to the refrigerator and took out a piece of the pizza and put it in the microwave to heat it up. She grabbed the orange juice and poured him a glass. When the pizza was done she brought it out to him and he finished it off quickly.  
  
"Thanks," he said. "You must be beat. You can head home. I'll be fine. I'm just gonna go crash. I still can't believe this," he said, shaking his head as he looked at his swollen, purple ankle.  
  
"So, what happened out there? Did you talk to Cole about this guardian stuff? He didn't seem too pleased back at the Center," Faith said.  
  
"Yeah, well. He talks a good game in front of other people, but we talked for a while out in the woods. He's okay with it, I think. We'll give it a try. If it's not for him, then that's his decision," Bosco said.  
  
"What if he decides it's not for him? Are you gonna be okay with it? You kind of let yourself get pretty involved with this kid," Faith observed.  
  
"Yeah. I'll be okay with it. It doesn't mean that I won't still be a part of his life. I'm not gonna bail on him," he answered her, trying to stifle a yawn. Faith nodded.  
  
"Well, your hike in the woods took a lot of out of you, so I'll let you get some sleep. Can you get back there okay?" she said, meaning to his bedroom. He stood up and got his crutches as Faith brought the dishes out and washed them up quick.  
  
"Yeah. Thanks. Sorry today turned out so bad," he said heading down the hallway.  
  
"It's okay. It was a nice day. Sorry you broke your ankle. Call me if you need me and call me in the morning when you have to go to the doctor," she said going to the door and opening it. She grabbed his car keys off the table next to the door and watched him make it down the hall to his bedroom.   
  
"Okay. Thanks. Be careful with my car," he said to her.   
  
"Like it's my own," she said as she pulled the door closed behind her and checked to make sure the lock was on before heading out of the building.  
*^*^*^*^*^  
Bosco got himself ready for bed and took another pain pill to get him through the night. As he turned on the television in his room, the phone next to the bed rang. He grabbed it and said, "Boscorelli."  
  
"Hey, Bosco. It's me, Cole. I just wanted to see if you made it home okay," said the boy.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just getting ready to crash. Are you supposed to be using the phone this late?" Bosco asked him.  
  
"Yeah, the doctor said I could call you to see if you made it home okay. I'm going to bed now too," he said, hesitating for a minute.  
  
"Um, Bosco?" he said.  
  
"Yeah, Cole."  
  
"Sorry about your ankle, but thanks for everything. I mean for wanting me to stay with you and everything," he said.  
  
"Hey, it got me at least a week's vacation. I'm just sorry I won't be able to drive up there for a while. Unless I can get Faith to take me on the weekend, but it depends on what her family's doing," he explained.  
  
"I know. It's okay. Besides, the doctor said I might be able to come ho..., um get out of here in a couple of weeks," Cole said.  
  
"You can call this home, Cole. It's gonna be your home as long as you want it to be," Bosco said.  
  
Cole cleared his throat. "Uh, okay. Thanks. Well, I've gotta hang up for now. Call me when you can and let me know how you're doing."  
  
"Yeah, I will. And you call me whenever you need to too," Bosco said before hanging up.  
  
He laid back on his pillows and stared at the television without really seeing it. He was thinking about how his life was going to change. It wasn't just him taking care of him anymore. He'd have someone else to consider. He kind of liked the idea of that. He drifted off to sleep, not hearing the news report of the member of the Latin Lords being taken into custody for assault on a female employee of the Office of Child and Family Services.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	16. Chapter 16

The Witness  
  
Chapter 16  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bosco awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. He didn't know how long it was ringing, but he reached over to grab it. He was still a little groggy from the pain medication he took late last night and his voice was a little hoarse from just waking up.  
  
"'Lo," he said into the phone.  
  
"Bosco? Are you awake?" came Faith's voice over the phone. This was starting to become a habit.  
  
"I am now," he said, opening one eye and looking at the clock. It was 10:00 a.m. He hadn't wanted to sleep that late because he had to call the doctor to get an appointment. Now he probably wouldn't be able to get one until tomorrow.   
  
"Have you talked to Katy Logan?" Faith asked him.  
  
"Uh, no. Not since the day before yesterday. Why?" he asked, sitting up because he knew Faith wouldn't have asked if something wasn't going on. He grimaced with the pain of his ankle as he tried to move his foot out from under the covers.  
  
"She's in the hospital. It was on the news last night and this morning. She was attacked by someone," Faith said.  
  
"What?! Where is she?" Bosco said, sliding to the edge of the bed and grabbing for his sweats. The pain rushed back into his ankle as he dangled his foot down and the blood rushed back to this injured area.  
  
"She's at Mercy. You want me to come get you?"  
  
"Yeah. I'll be ready when you get here," he said, remembering she had taken his car home last night. He stood up and reached for his crutches. With his other hand, he reached for the remote and turned on his TV, turning up the volume, hoping to hear a news brief.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Faith had come up to the apartment to get Bosco because she didn't want him navigating the stairs by himself until he became more familiar with using the crutches. She noticed the pain on his face and made him take another pill since she was driving anyway. On the way out the door, she grabbed his x-rays that were propped on the floor by the door figuring that they'd kill two birds with one stone while they were at Mercy.  
  
Now they were riding up to the 5th floor in the elevator. Bosco had grilled her on the way over as to what had happened and all that Faith could tell her was what the news said; that Katy had been attacked outside the offices of the Department of Child & Family Services. The report continued to say that there were no witnesses and that the victim was hospitalized and could not be questioned by the police until she regained consciousness.   
  
The elevator doors opened and they stepped off. They stopped at the nurse's station to see where Katy's room was and were directed two doors down. There was a police officer outside of the room, no doubt stationed there in the event she regained consciousness, even if only briefly. They approached the room and were asked for their identification. They each showed their identifications and badges and were allowed into the room.  
  
They walked up to the bed and saw Katy laying there, her head bandaged and a cast on her right arm. There were multiple cuts and bruises to her face and arms. They couldn't see her legs under the covers. She had an oxygen mask and IVs running and was hooked up to a heart monitor.   
  
"God," Bosco said. "What the hell happened?" he said and Faith saw the look of anger and concern on his face. "I gotta find whoever did this."  
  
"Bos, you're out of work, remember? I'll keep on top of it and let you know what's going on. You should be here with her. I wonder why her family's not here?" Faith said.  
  
"She doesn't have any family," Bosco said quietly.   
  
"What?" Faith asked.  
  
"She grew up in the system. Foster parents until she was 18 and then she was booted out of the system. That's why she's been helping me with Cole. She tries to help all her cases - kids - get placed permanently before they're 18. Too many, like her, outgrew the system and were turned out onto the streets with no clue how to fend for themselves or get jobs," he explained, never taking his eyes off her. Faith could tell he'd grown quite close to Katy in the time they'd spent together on Cole's behalf. He never talked about her and Faith thought it was all business. But, by the look on his face now and the way he talked about her, she realized that it must be serious for him not to talk about his exploits during their shifts.  
  
"I'm gonna go see if I can find a doctor or somebody to find out exactly how badly she's hurt," Faith said.   
  
"Okay," Bosco said, turning to watch Faith leave.  
  
"Well, at least I know you were listening to me when I told you my life story," came a soft whisper and Bosco turned back to Katy quickly.  
  
"Katy?" Bosco said. "My God. Are you okay?"  
  
"I'd say no since I'm hooked up to all this stuff," she said, beginning to drift off again.  
  
"Did you see who did this to you?" Bosco asked her before she passed out again.   
  
Too late, she was out again. Faith came back in with the doctor and Bosco told them that she was just awake for a second. Faith went to get the officer that was stationed outside so that he could be in the room in the event she came to again.  
  
The doctor explained her injuries and how lucky she was. She had a concussion and some eye damage. They weren't sure whether she'd regain full sight in her left eye, but the doctors were optimistic. Her right arm was fractured in two places from where she'd tried to ward off the blows from some type of weapon. She had some broken ribs and a bruised spleen.   
  
"Was there any sign of sexual assault," Faith asked, knowing that Bosco wanted to ask but couldn't bring himself to.  
  
"It doesn't appear that way from our examination, but we'll have to wait until she wakes up to see if she remembers," the doctor explained.  
  
"No," came Katy's voice again.  
  
"What?" Bosco said again, immediately at her side.  
  
"No sexual assault. Wasn't this enough?" she tried to joke.  
  
"Well, at least you haven't lost your sense of humor?" he joked back. "So, did you see who did this to you? Can you describe the person?"  
  
"I can do better than that. I can give you the names," she said, grabbing everyone's attention fully.  
  
"Katy?" Bosco urged her to go on.  
  
"It was Raven and his Latin Lords," she said, anger heavy in her voice. Bosco slammed his hands on the bedrail and turned to go, eager to get after her attackers. "She grabbed at his arm with her good hand and added. "Bos, they took my files. They wanted to know where Cole was." He put a hand over hers and then turned to leave again.  
  
"Bosco! I don't want you going after them by yourself. I want it done by the book so that these scumbags are off the street for a long, long time," Katy said.   
  
"Relax, Katy," Faith said, coming up alongside of Bosco. "He's not gonna be running anywhere with a broken ankle. He's on the disabled list for at least three weeks. Now, you need to give the information to this officer so he can file a report and get the ball rolling on picking up Raven and his boys. I'm gonna call the station and let Lieutenant Swersky know about it. Then, I'll call and alert Cole's doctor to step up security at the Center. You need to concentrate on getting better so you can testify and put them away. And Bosco, you need to get down to Dr. Adams' office to get a cast put on your leg," she said, turning to Bosco.  
  
He looked at her wondering when she'd set up the appointment. "I ran into him at the desk outside when I went to find Katy's doctor. I handed him the x-rays and he said he can see you right now. Third floor, Room 392," she said, stepping aside so he could maneuver past her with his crutches.  
  
"Call the Center first, then Swersky," he told his partner. "I'll be back as soon as I get this taken care of," Bosco said to Katy. "You'll be okay?"  
  
"I'm not goin' anywhere," she said. "Faith. I need to hear this story. You know, for future ammunition," she joked.  
  
"Oh, I'll tell you all about it after you finish talking to Officer Duncan here," Faith said. She walked out to call the Lieutenant and watched Bosco hobble down to the elevators and get in.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	17. Chapter 17

The Witness  
  
Chapter 17  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bosco finished getting his cast applied. He couldn't believe that it went from his toes all the way up to just below his knee. He was instructed to keep his weight off of it as much as possible and to use the crutches at all times. The doctor looked at his dismay and said, "Come back in two weeks and we'll see how you're healing. Maybe we can put on a walking cast and you can lose the crutches - but that's ONLY if you don't abuse it now."  
  
Bosco reluctantly agreed - what else was he going to do - and made an appointment for two weeks. He stopped outside the office at the water fountain to take another pain pill because of the doctor manipulating his ankle during his examination. Before he went back up to Katy's room he sat down in a chair, took out his cell phone and dialed the Rehab Center to check on Cole. He listened to the music as he waited for whoever the switchboard operator was connecting him to. Finally, Cole's doctor came on the phone.  
  
"Mr. Boscorelli. We have some disturbing news. Cole seems to have disappeared," the doctor said.  
  
Bosco immediately stood up to start walking and remembered that he'd just had a cast applied. "What do you mean 'he disappeared'?" he asked the doctor, tilting his head to hold the cell phone between his ear and his shoulder as he positioned his crutches.  
  
"Well, we got a call from Officer Yokas a little while ago about what happened to that woman from Child and Family Services and that we should step up security because of some gang finding out about Cole's whereabouts," he started to explain as Bosco interrupted.  
  
"How long has he been missing?" Bosco asked, a sense of dread rising within him.  
  
"Now, we don't know if he's really missing. It's possible that he just decided to leave," the doctor tried to correct him.  
  
"He didn't just leave," Bosco said. "I talked to him late last night and he seemed fine."  
  
"Well, there's no sign of forced entry to his room," the doctor said.   
  
"Yeah, well I'm on my way up there. And expect a visit from the local authorities, because something's not right and these people that are looking for him are dangerous," he said hanging up the phone before the doctor could tell him about the phone call that Cole received this morning.  
  
He shoved the phone into his pocket and began to make his way back to the elevator to find Faith, cursing his limited mobility.  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Faith was supplying Katy with the knowledge of how Bosco came to need a cast - much to Katy's amusement even though it hurt when she laughed. Faith could see that she was tiring and started to stand up.  
  
"Well, you need to get some rest and I need to get to work," she said. "Bosco should be right back and if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me."  
  
"Thanks, Faith," Katy said and Faith turned to walk out the door, colliding with Bosco as he hobbled in. She knew immediately by the look on his face he was not bringing good news.  
  
"What?" she asked him.  
  
Bosco looked over at Katy to get a sense of how she was doing before he continued, "Cole's missing."  
  
"What?!" Faith said. "I just talked to the Center and everything was fine not half an hour ago."  
  
"Well, I just got off the phone with his doctor and apparently he's missing and they don't know how long ago it happened. Did they check on him while you had them on the phone, Faith?" he asked her.  
  
"No, Bos. I'm sorry. I talked to the head of their security office to let him know what was going on. He said that everything there was normal, but that he'd alert the rest of the staff to what was happening. He didn't just leave on his own, did he?" she asked him.  
  
Bosco shook his head, "I don't think so. I talked to him late last night after you'd left and he seemed fine. He was looking forward to coming to stay with me. Why would he blow that now?"  
  
"Does he have your cell phone number?" Katy asked him. He walked over to her and took her hand, his concern over Cole and his concern over Katy's condition tearing at him.  
  
"Yeah," he replied and looked back to Faith. "I'm gonna call the Lieutenant and see if he can contact Upstate and get the police over there to check around," he said, taking his phone back out of his pocket. "Can you get a cab to work? I've gotta drive up there," he said, reaching into his pocket to offer her money for a cab.  
  
"No, Bos. You can't drive up there. Your right foot is in a cast and I can tell just by looking at you that you took another pain pill not too long ago," Faith argued.  
  
"Well, you've gotta go to work and I'm not just gonna sit around when Cole could be in real danger," he told her.  
  
"I'll call Ty. He's not working today. He'll drive you up there," she remembered.  
  
"Oh yeah. I'm sure he'll want to drive me Upstate and hang around," Bosco started to argue, trying to figure out another solution. Faith was right. He could feel the pain pill working. It wouldn't be a good idea to drive.  
  
"Bosco, I'm sure Ty would do it," Faith said, walking over and taking his cell phone from his hand. She dialed the station and asked the Desk Sergeant to look up Ty's home and cell phone numbers for her. She dialed his home number first and left a message on his machine. Then she dialed his cell phone and after three rings, Ty picked up.  
  
"Ty, its Faith Yokas," she said.  
  
"Hey, Faith. What's up?" Ty said, out of breath. She could hear a couple of voices in the background and it sounded like he was outside.  
  
"Bosco needs your help. He broke his ankle yesterday while he was up visiting Cole," she started and Ty started to make a remark.  
  
"Ty. This is important. I've gotta get in to work and Bosco needs to get back Upstate because Cole's missing. You heard about Katy being attacked last night, right?" she said, waiting for him to answer. "Well, she identified her attackers as the Latin Lords. They took her files, with the name and address of the place that Cole is staying. Now Cole has disappeared. Bosco can't drive and I need to know if you'll drive him up there?"  
  
"Hang on, Faith," Ty said, putting his hand over the phone. She could hear him talking to someone, but she didn't know who it was. Finally he came back on the line.  
  
"Where is he now?" Ty asked her.  
  
"He's here at Mercy. I'm on my way to work," she told him.  
  
"We'll be there in like ten minutes. Jimmy, D.K. and Billy Walsh are with me. We were playing basketball. They wanna help," Davis said.   
  
"Okay, Ty," Faith said. "Do you need Bosco's car, cause I can take a cab to work?"   
  
"No, we'll never all fit in his car. We'll take my Explorer. Have him meet us out front. Ten minutes," he said.  
  
"Thanks," she said, hanging up. She looked over at Bosco and Katy. "Ty, Jimmy and Billy Walsh will pick you up out front in like ten minutes."  
  
"Why?" Bosco asked.   
  
"They all want to help," she said. "I've gotta get to work. You better head downstairs, Speedy. I'll let the Lieu know what's going on when I get to work. Don't worry. He'll turn up. Keep in touch," Faith said, before she turned to leave.  
  
"Thanks, Faith," Bosco said as she left. He turned back to Katy.  
  
"What?" Katy said, noticing the look on his face.  
  
"I don't want to leave you here by yourself. I'm worried about you," he said.  
  
"I'll be fine, Bos. Cole needs you now. Besides, you can't doctor me. You can nurse me later," she said, winking and squeezing the hand he was still holding her's with.  
  
"You're okay, you know that?" he said. "I'll have my cell on. Call me if you need anything. I'll call my Ma. She'll come by to see you . That'll give you a kick," he said sarcastically, stepping away from the bed. She tightened her grip on his hand and pulled him back toward her.  
  
"Not so fast, Gimpy," she said. "I'm hurt, I'm not dead. How about a good luck kiss?"  
  
"Absolutely," he said, smiling and leaning over to give her a kiss.  
  
"Be careful," she said in his ear, before he stood up to leave.  
  
"Always," he said as he positioned his crutches and started to the door.  
  
"Oh yeah, that's evident," she said, getting the last word in.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Cole was walking alongside the road, trying to catch a ride back to New York City. The phone call he received had scared him. He wanted to get back to familiar territory. It was evident he wasn't ever going to live a 'normal' life.  
  
He was walking along the road when an SUV pulled up alongside him, the windows tinted quite dark. He approached the car and before he could realize it, it was too late.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	18. Chapter 18

The Witness  
  
Chapter 18  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Cole woke up and looked at his surroundings. He had no idea where he was and he struggled through the throbbing pain in his head to remember what had happened. He remembered leaving the Center after getting a phone call from Chenise telling him that Raven had found out where he was and was coming for him. She said she knew that she was risking her life by telling him, but that Raven was getting out of control and he needed to be stopped.  
  
He couldn't believe how easy is had been to just walk away from the Center. He'd gotten his money from his drawer before he went outside. He was outside doing some of his chores and he looked around and noticed that no one was watching. He just walked away. It was as simple as that. Simple right up until he got pulled into Raven's truck while he was walking along the highway trying to get a ride back to the City. He struggled, tried to get away, but it was four against one and then someone had hit him with something and everything went dark.  
  
Now, here he was in God knows where, sitting in the dark. He rubbed the back of his head and flinched as he felt the lump where the blow had landed. He felt a little dried blood. He tried to stand up, fighting a wave of dizziness and nausea from the concussion he had sustained. He gathered his bearings and saw a faint light coming from the corner of the room. He walked toward it, steadying himself on the wall as he went. He bumped into something with a loud bang and stopped, hoping that he hadn't brought attention to himself. He heard nothing from outside the room and assumed he was alone. He made it to the light source and realized that the light was coming from under a door. He listened at the door and heard some music playing and some muffled voices.   
  
He was trying to figure out what to do and kicking himself mentally for not calling Bosco before he'd left the Center. At least he'd have known that he was missing. He was brought back from his thoughts at the sound of a voice just on the other side of the door. He froze, trying to decide whether to stand his ground or go back to where he was and pretend he was still unconscious. The next words he heard made his decision for him.  
  
"Hey, Raven. Better give me that gun in case he's awake and planning an ambush," came the voice with a harsh laugh. With the word of a gun, Cole had decided to go back to where he woke up and pretend he was still unconscious. Maybe he could sneak a peek while the door was open and get a better idea of how to get out of here. As the door opened, Cole closed his eyes and concentrated on relaxing his entire body so as not to give himself away, but the words he heard from Raven made a wave of fear run through him.  
  
"Hey, Gary! Don't forget to give him the stuff. The sooner we get him messed up again, the sooner that cop'll throw him away. Then nobody will care when we waste him. They'll think it's just another junkie caught in a drug deal gone bad," Raven laughed as Gary entered the room, laughing along with him.   
  
"No! I've worked so hard to get clean! I've got a chance at a real life, with a real family," Cole thought to himself. He couldn't just let this happen - not without a fight. He waited for Gary to get a little closer. Maybe if he could take him by surprise, he'd have a fighting chance. But, there's no way he could get past Raven - unless....  
  
Gary came closer after flipping on the overhead light. Cole tried to remain still as the sudden light assaulted him through his closed eyes, making his head pound even harder. "Wait," he told himself. "Just another couple of seconds."  
  
He heard Gary put something down and start handling something else. Cole managed to open his one eye far enough to catch site of the gun that Gary had put down in order to get the drugs ready for Cole. Now was his chance. He just wished he knew exactly where Raven was and if there was anyone else around. He decided that he had to act now, before the drugs got into his system. He had to at least try.  
  
He turned quickly and kicked out with his legs, catching Gary by surprise. He saw the look of surprise on the young man's face as his leg connected with his side hard. The drug paraphernalia that he'd been fiddling with fell from his hands as he tried to recover and regain his balance. Cole sat up quickly and grabbed for the gun that was inches away from him. He managed to get to the gun before Gary did despite the wave of dizziness at his sudden movements. He stood quickly, leaning against the wall as Gary called out for Raven and lunged toward him. Cole didn't remember pulling the trigger, but he heard the loud bang and watched Gary crumple to the ground slowly at his feet. He looked up to see Raven and another kid he didn't recognize running into the room.  
  
He pointed the gun at the two rushing into the room and they stopped at the doorway. Raven looked at Gary laying on the ground and then back to Cole. "You son of a bitch! You killed my brother! There's no way you're gonna leave here alive now," he said as he began to approach Cole. Cole aimed the weapon straight at Raven, causing him to pull up short.  
  
"No! I won't let you do this to me again! I'm leaving. I've got a real life waiting for me," he said, inching his way to the door as Raven and the other kid circled to the left. Suddenly, Cole found himself on the floor with Raven and the other on top of him. Gary wasn't dead after all - just wounded. He'd reached out and tripped Cole. Because of the dizziness from the concussion he was unable to regain his balance in time. "Get the stuff!" Raven called out to Gary who was getting up now.   
  
Raven and the other kid held Cole down while Gary prepared the poison meant for Cole. Cole struggled to get free as he felt the needle enter his arm. As soon as they were done, they released Cole watching to see his reaction to the chemical pumping through his veins. They watched his facial expression change as the drugs took effect, pleased with themselves.   
  
Cole lay on the floor, trying to fight the effects of the drugs, but liking the familiar feeling at the same time. He heard Raven, Gary and the other kid talking, but it was distorted. He could make out that Raven was taking Gary to get patched up and the other kid was to stay and keep an eye on Cole. He watched the two leave and followed the kid with his eyes as he went back out to the other room and sat down.  
  
"I've gotta get out of here. I've gotta find Bosco," he thought desperately to himself. He watched as the kid's attention fell back on the television that was playing. Cole managed to get to his feet and walk quietly to the door of the room. The kid wasn't paying any attention, but the drugs were taking a stronger hold on him. "If only I can get out of here before they take complete hold," he thought to himself, edging out of the room and toward the door. After a couple of very cautious minutes, he found himself outside in the bright sunshine, trying to figure out where he was. He had to get away first and that was the only thing on his mind for right now. He wandered down the street trying to stay out of sight so he could get far enough away that he could figure out his next move  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Ty pulled into the lot of the Center about two hours after they'd picked up Bosco from the hospital. Bosco had filled them all in on what was going on. He told Jimmy, D.K, and Billy that he'd understand if they wanted to head back to the City, but they said there was no way they were leaving now. The four men followed Bosco into the Center where Cole's doctor was waiting for them. The doctor told them that the police had already been there and looked through Cole's room and around the grounds. He was nowhere to be found and apparently took nothing with him, except the money he earned for work he did around the Center.  
  
"Did he get any phone calls or anything?" Bosco asked after thinking for a minute.  
  
"Yes. I started to tell you that on the phone earlier, but you hung up on me. Mrs. Smith, the operator, told me that she put a call through to him around 7:30 this morning. She said it was a girl - she gave her name as Chenise," the doctor replied. Bosco looked at Ty as Ty fished his phone out of his pocket. "I'm on it," he told Bosco, referring to getting the police department to pull the phone records coming into the Center between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	19. Chapter 19

The Witness  
  
Chapter 19  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"What do you mean you don't know how he got out?!" Raven said loudly as he got in the kid's face. He had just gotten back from the back alley doctor with his brother. He'd been lucky. The bullet from Cole had gone clean through his side, and he only required the wound to be cleaned and sutured.  
  
"I swear Raven! I was right here the whole time. I don't know how he could have gotten out," the kid said, sweating now. Raven looked around the room and saw the evidence that the kid had been using drugs while he was gone.  
  
"I'll tell you how he got away," Raven said, storming over to the table and picking up the used drug packet and syringe. "You were busy doing other things, weren't you!?" he stated more than asked.  
  
"I'm sorry, Raven. Really, I am. I'll go out and look for him. He couldn't have gotten too far with the drugs in him," the kid said, getting up and heading for the door.  
  
"Bobby!" Raven yelled before the boy had made it to the door. Bobby turned and looked at Raven, afraid that he was going to be killed for his mistake before he could try to make it up to Raven.  
  
"You better find him and bring him back here. If you don't find him, don't come back. And, you better make sure I don't find you or your dead!" he warned the scared kid.  
  
"I'll find him, Raven. I swear it," the boy said, leaving before Raven changed his mind and killed him right there.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
It had been about four hours since he'd had the drugs put in his arm and he could feel himself wanting more. He fought the urge to buy some more or get some alcohol, but it was getting harder and harder. He thought about calling Bosco, but he wanted to make sure that he was straight before he did. He didn't want anyone to know that he wasn't clean anymore - even if it wasn't his fault. Now that the drugs were wearing off, he could feel the pounding in his head returning. He needed to lie down somewhere. He needed to get some sleep. He looked around to see if he could find somewhere to crash and saw an empty storefront. He still didn't know where he was, but he knew that he was back in the City somewhere.   
  
He stumbled into the store and looked for a quiet, out of the way corner. It was obvious that this place was used for drug activity. There were discarded syringes and empty drug packets, and burned candles scattered all over. He grabbed some old blankets that were lying in the corner and shook them out to make sure there were no bugs or rats in them. Satisfied that they were as clean as he was going to find in here, he piled them on the floor and curled up to sleep.   
  
As he started to shut his eyes, he saw it. At first he thought he was hallucinating, dreaming. But as he looked more carefully he saw that it was real. When he had shaken the blankets out, it must have fallen out - forgotten by whoever was here last. Cole reached over and picked up the intact, full drug packet and gazed longingly at its contents. He looked around and saw a slightly used syringe on the ground - not a good idea, but then being a junkie wasn't a good idea either. He picked up the syringe and held it in his hand along with the packet of drugs. He closed his hand around the items and held it against his forehead, fighting the urge to use it right then. He shoved the items under the blankets and told himself that he had the willpower to fight the urge. He curled up and fell into a fitful sleep. "I'll feel better once I get some rest," he thought to himself.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco had left his phone number with the authorities Upstate and they promised to call him if they had any information. They were going to call his precinct when they had gotten the phone records for the Center, and Cole's doctor promised to call if he heard anything at all from or about Cole.  
  
The five of them drove home in relative silence. Ty, D.K., Jimmy and Billy were exhausted from their search of the woods surrounding the Center and where Bosco had found him the other night. Bosco wanted to help, but they'd convinced him that they could search quicker without worrying about him with his broken ankle. His ankle was throbbing now, but he didn't want to take any medicine because the stuff knocked him out and he wanted to be ready if Cole called for him.  
  
Now they headed back to the City. Bosco knew that Cole wanted to get home to familiar territory. He was sick of being in the "sticks" as he called it and so he figured that he was heading back to New York City. "I just don't understand why he hasn't called me?" he thought to himself as he looked out the window.  
  
He pulled out his cell phone to make sure that it was still working. The battery was getting low. He hoped that he'd be able to get home before it died completely so he could put it in the charger. He called his home machine to see if there were any messages from Cole, but there wasn't.  
  
"Anybody need coffee?" Ty asked as he drove down the highway. They were about an hour away from home and if he didn't get out and move around a little, he'd fall asleep while he was driving for sure.  
  
"Yeah, sure," Bosco said, knowing that his friends were all exhausted. "Friends," he thought to himself. He'd never thought of them as his friends before, but I guess they proved him wrong.   
  
"We can keep going if you want. I'll drive if you're tired, Ty," Jimmy offered.  
  
"No. Stop for coffee. I need to move my leg anyway. It's getting all cramped up," Bosco said. Ty pulled into the right lane in anticipation of the next rest area.  
  
"I just wanted to thank you guys for helping me out today. I really appreciate it," Bosco said, looking around the truck at the four of them.  
  
"No problem, Bos. You've backed us up plenty of times on the job. I'm just sorry we weren't able to find him," Billy said. Ty pulled off to the rest area and they all got out and stretched, heading into the building for coffee and something to eat.  
  
As they got their food and sat at a table, a cell phone rang. Bosco reached for his and realized that it wasn't his phone. Ty realized it was his phone and he picked it up. He talked for a few minutes and then hung up. They all looked at him.  
  
"That was Sully. They got the phone records from the Center. They traced the call to Cole back to a phone at Mercy. Someone from the hospital called him," Ty said, looking at Bosco.  
  
"What? Who could have called from there?" he wondered allowed. The men finished their meal quickly and got back on the road. Ty took Jimmy up on his offer to drive the rest of the way. They made small talk on the rest of the way back.  
  
As they pulled into the parking lot of the Precinct, Ty asked Bosco if he wanted a ride home. "No, but you can drop me off at the hospital if you don't mind. I wanna see Katy after I check in with the Lieu," Bosco said.   
  
"Sure thing," Ty said as they all got out. Bosco shook hands with Jimmy, D.K., and Billy, thanking them again for their help.  
  
"No problem," Jimmy said. "I've got a shift right now, but if you need me in the morning I'm there."  
  
"Me too," Billy said  
  
"Yeah, me too. And I'm sure everyone else from the station will want to help too," D.K. added.  
  
"Hopefully, I'll have heard from him by the morning and your offers won't be needed, but I appreciate it," he said, saying goodnight.  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Ty dropped Bosco at the front door of the hospital. "You want me to come up with you?" he offered.  
  
"Nah. You've done enough, Ty," Bosco said, looking over at him. "I mean it, Man. I appreciate what everyone's done. I never knew that I had so many friends. I've been a real ass in the past," he said.  
  
Ty held his hand out to shake Bosco's hand. "Well, like you said. That's in the past," Ty said.  
  
Bosco got out of the car and Ty handed his crutches out to him. "Hey, if there's a bed in Katy's room, I suggest you use it for the night. You look like you should be a patient here," Ty teased him.  
  
"You know, I feel like I should be a patient here," he replied. "Take it easy, Ty."  
  
He watched Ty drive away and then headed into the hospital. He quietly walked into Katy's room so that he didn't wake her. He was surprised that he'd made it past the nurses since visiting hours were over, but since there was a policeman at her door, I guess they decided that it was up to him to regulate her visitors. Bosco nodded to the officer and showed him his badge and was allowed in. He walked up to her bed and looked at her. She looked so peaceful. If not for the bruises and the swelling, he would have thought that she should be at home, sleeping next to him.  
  
"Hey," came her groggy voice. "Any luck?"  
  
"No," he said quietly. "How're you doing? You feeling any better?"  
  
"They've got great drugs here," she said, smiling.  
  
"Uh huh, I could sure use some of them right now," he said, sitting in the chair next to her bed after kissing her.  
  
"Bos? Are you okay? You don't look so good," she said with concern.  
  
"Yeah. I'm just beat and my ankle is killing me. I think I put too much weight on it today," he said, yawning.  
  
"I'd say so, since you weren't supposed to be walking on it at all," she admonished him.  
  
"Yeah, well..." he trailed off, almost falling asleep in the chair.  
  
"Bos?" Katy said and he opened his eyes and looked at her.  
  
"Why don't you crash on that bed? No one else is coming into this room anyway," she said.  
  
"You want me too?" he asked.  
  
"No. I want you in this bed, but I don't think you'll fit," she said with a smirk on her face. Hi grinned and shook a finger at her.  
  
He looked over at the bed opposite hers and decided to take her up on it. He didn't have a way to get home anyway. He picked up his crutches and hobbled over. He found a place to plug in his phone - Faith had left the charger from his car in his locker at the station along with some other stuff she thought he might need. He kicked off his shoe and hung his jacket on the back of the chair and sat on the bed. Katy watched him take a half of one of his pain pills and swallow it down with some water from the nightstand.  
  
He looked over and saw her staring at him. "You need something?" he asked her as he put one of the extra pillows under his leg to elevate his foot.  
  
"No," she said. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I will be when I find Cole. I talked to Faith a little while ago. She's been stopping by my apartment periodically to see if Cole shows up there like he did the night he ran from the hospital. She talked with the Super of my building and told him to let Cole in if he shows up and to call her. Ty, D.K., Jimmy and Billy from the firehouse went Upstate with me today. They're a great bunch of guys," he said, yawning again and laying his head back on the pillow.  
  
She watched him fall sound asleep before his head was all the way on the pillow. She watched him for a little longer, thinking how much she was falling in love with this man.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	20. Chapter 20

The Witness  
  
Chapter 20  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It had been two days since Cole had escaped from Raven. He never made it past the demons calling him back to the drugs and alcohol. He'd used that packet he found in the storefront and it had escalated from there. He thought a couple of times about calling Bosco just to tell him he was alive and that he was sorry, but he never did. Now, here he was, wandering down an alley in search of more drugs. He walked up to a group of three guys hoping to score some of what he needed from them or at least find out where he could score.  
  
"Hey, I need some stuff," he said to the first one in the group. The kid turned and Cole thought he recognized him, but he couldn't remember from where. He watched the smile spread across the kid's face as he said, "Yeah, I know where you can score. Follow me." Cole followed the kid down the alley and through some backyards. They came out another alley after a little while.  
  
Cole said, "Where's the stuff? I need it."  
  
"I know you do. I just gotta call my supplier and let him know I'm coming over," said the kid as he led Cole to a phone booth. Cole watched as the kid picked up the phone and dialed it. "Is he there?" he asked into the phone.  
  
Cole only half-listened to the conversation, more occupied with the thought of his next fix.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
"This better be good," Raven said into the phone.  
  
"It is. I'm bringing somebody over. He needs a fix," Bobby said into the phone as he looked at Cole standing next to him.  
  
"You're not supposed to bring anyone here. You know that," Raven said.  
  
"This is one you're gonna want to meet. I told you I'd do it and I did," Bobby said, not wanting to give too much away and alert Cole to where they were headed.  
  
"You found him?" Raven asked.  
  
"Yeah. And he needs a fix real bad," Bobby replied with a smile on his face.  
  
"Okay. But, you better not mess this up again. How long?" Raven asked him.  
  
"'Bout five minutes," he answered and then hung up.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"How much?" Cole asked his new-found friend.  
  
"Usual price, but he may be able to give you a discount if you don't have enough," Bobby said to him.  
  
"Okay, let's go then," Cole said impatiently. He really needed this bad. He followed behind Bobby and they reached the location. Bobby couldn't believe that Cole didn't recognize the place. "He must be pretty screwed up," he thought to himself as he knocked on Raven's door.  
  
The door opened and they walked in. Cole didn't realize until it was too late where he was. As he tried to turn and get away, he was grabbed and dragged into the same room that he was kept in a few days ago. He struggled as Raven's boys secured him to a chair and then Raven entered the room.  
  
"Well, who do we have here? Just a common street junkie, I see," Raven sneered at him. "Nice to see that Rehab Center didn't change your wicked ways much. You're right back where you started. Only this time, there's not gonna be anyone to save your ass," he laughed.  
  
"Raven. Just let me go. I won't tell anyone where you are. I just wanna go home and go about my own life. I promise," Cole said, starting to shake from his fear and the need for the drugs.  
  
"Well, it looks like you could use a little hit, eh Cole?" Raven said.  
  
"He was worried about not having enough money, Raven," Bobby chimed in.  
  
"Oh, well an old friend like Cole here? Your credit's good with me," Raven said, holding up a packet of the thing he craved. Cole couldn't take his eyes off the stuff, but knew he was in for trouble.  
  
"Just as well," Cole thought to himself. "Maybe he'll put me out my misery."  
  
Cole watched as he handed the stuff to Bobby. "Why don't you get the stuff ready for him, Bobby. He looks a little too shaky to do it himself," Raven said.  
  
"Sure, Raven. No problem," Bobby said as he went about preparing the hit. He handed it over to Cole as one of Raven's boys untied his arms.  
  
"Go ahead, Cole. Take the hit. I'm promise you'll feel better and then when you're thinking more clearly we can have a talk," Raven urged him.  
  
They all stood around watching as Cole put the stuff into his veins and watched as his face showed relief. This stuff was a little stronger than what he was used to, but he thought that he could handle it. Then he noticed that things were feeling out of control and he watched as Raven started to laugh at him.   
  
That's all he remembered because the next thing he knew he was waking up in a dark alley on the wet ground, with rain falling on him. He didn't know that it was a week later. He was cold and shivering, but still had some of the drugs in his system so he didn't mind too much. He looked around to see if he knew where he was. He reached into his pocket and felt a bag there. He took the bag out and looked at it. It was full of a three-day supply of drugs for him, no doubt courtesy of Raven.  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"Central to 55-Edward," came the dispatcher over the radio.  
  
"55-Edward, go ahead Central," replied the officer.  
  
"Edward, we got a call from a woman that said her daughter was approached by some kid trying to sell her drugs. 132 and Arthur, on the corner," the dispatcher advised.  
  
"10-4, Central. We'll head over there. Any more information?"  
  
"The woman said she'd meet you at that location and point him out. Subject is still hanging around and appears to be under the influence himself," came the reply.  
  
"10-4," the officer said as his partner turned on the lights and siren and headed toward the destination.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
Bosco had gotten Katy settled back at her apartment. She had been discharged that morning and he had insisted on coming over to make sure she was okay.  
  
"Bos, really. You don't have to take care of me," she said as he helped her to the couch.   
  
"I know, but I want to," he said, sitting down next to her.  
  
"Well, who's gonna take care of you?" she said, pointing to the cast on his leg.  
  
"Actually, it doesn't hurt anymore. The doctor said I don't have to use my crutches anymore so that helps a lot and I've become pretty good at using my left foot for driving," he said.  
  
"I'll be the judge of that," she said, poking him in the side.  
  
"Ouch!" he said. "So, what do you want to eat? I stocked your refrigerator before I picked you up this morning."  
  
"Oh, please tell me that it isn't full of Boscorelli food," she groaned.  
  
"Boscorelli food? And what exactly is that?" he asked her, a hurt expression on his face.  
  
"Frozen pizzas and beer," she said, smiling at his expression.  
  
"I'll have you know that I got you everything that you like and stuff that I like too. So, what'll it be? Chicken, beef, tacos, pizza?" he said hopefully.  
  
"Um, my jaw is still pretty sore. Did you pick up any soup or maybe some eggs?" she said.  
  
"Eggs it is. How would you like them cooked?" he said, walking into the kitchen and turning on the oven.   
  
She told him how she wanted her eggs and then said, "Uh, Bosco. You don't cook eggs in the oven. You're not gonna burn down my apartment, are you?"  
  
"I know you don't cook eggs in the oven, but you DO cook frozen pizza in the oven. Do you know how long it's been since I had pizza?" he said to her, suddenly falling silent as he continued to prepare her eggs.   
  
"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing the look on his face as she watched him stare out the rain-streaked kitchen window at the street below while her eggs cooked.  
  
"Nothing. It's just that the last time I had pizza was with Cole at that restaurant Upstate," he told her.  
  
"Still no news on him?" she asked.  
  
"No. It's like he just disappeared into thin air. I hope he's okay. I mean, I can't believe he hasn't at least called me," he said, taking the eggs from the stove and putting them on a plate. "Coffee, juice, milk?" he asked her.  
  
"Um, juice sounds good," she answered. "You think he went back to his old ways?"  
  
"I dunno. There's no sign of him anywhere. Faith, Sully and Davis have been checking where the Lords hang out and there's no sign of him. But then, there's no sign of Raven either," he reasoned.  
  
"Hey, the buzzer's going off," she said to him, calling him back from his thoughts.  
  
"What?" he said, realizing that the timer for his pizza was sounding. "Oh," he said, opening the oven door and grabbing the pan without using an oven mit. He dropped the pan onto the top of the stove, realizing that he'd forgotten the oven mit. He turned on the cold water and ran his hand under it. "Dammit!" he said.  
  
"Are you okay? I can't believe you just did that," she said, trying to get up.  
  
"Stay there. I'm okay. I'm just an idiot," he said, bringing her dinner over to her and going back to get his. He carried his plate and glass of beer over and sat beside her. She reached over and ran her hand through the back of his hair.  
  
"I'm sorry. I know how disappointed you are. But, you tried - really hard. It's not your fault, Maurice," she said.  
  
"I should have done more," he said, looking at her.  
  
"There's really nothing else you could have done, Bos. Really. I'm telling you the truth. You did everything in your power. He just didn't want it bad enough, I guess," she said. He leaned over and kissed her gently so he didn't hurt her sore jaw. They ate, making small talk and then ended up watching television together.  
  
It was about 10:30 at night when Bosco's phone rang, waking them both up on the couch. He grabbed his phone off the table and looked over at Katy. "Sorry it woke you up," he said as he answered the phone.  
  
"Boscorelli."  
  
"Bos? It's Faith. I'm at Mercy," she started and Bosco sat up, the worry audible in his voice.  
  
"Faith? Are you okay? What happened?" he asked, getting Katy's full attention now.  
  
"No, Bos. I'm fine. But I think you'd better get down here. Gusler and I were here with some drunk when 55-Edward brought a kid in that they arrested for selling drugs over on Arthur," she said, pausing.  
  
"Faith?" Bosco said, already sensing what she was about to tell him.  
  
"It's Cole, Bos. I'm sorry. He's been using again. Pretty bad this time," she finished.  
  
"I'm on my way. Don't let any cops near him until I get there," he said, hanging up the phone and looking over at Katy.  
  
"Is Faith okay?" she asked him. He nodded.  
  
"55-Edward brought Cole in while she was there on another call. He's back on the drugs," he told her, disappointment on his face as he stood up and grabbed his jacket and keys. "I've gotta get down there. You gonna be okay here?"  
  
"Yes. Go. Call me and let me know what's going on," she said. He leaned over and kissed her. As he reached the door, she called to him.  
  
"Bos, don't pre-judge. Just listen to him first," she said. He nodded and then was gone.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
TBC... 


	21. Chapter 21

The Witness  
  
Chapter 21  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bosco limped into the Emergency Room at Mercy at 11:00 p.m. He was greeted by Faith who was still there waiting for their drunk to be cleared to go to a holding cell.  
  
"How is he?" Bosco asked her.  
  
"He's okay. He's sleeping. The doctors are waiting for test results to come back, but he's definitely been on something. He's had a dirty head lac to the back of his head that they cleaned up, but he's not really talking. Jones and Bombard said they picked him up because a woman called to report that he was trying to sell drugs to her daughter. He's denying it, but they found the drugs on him," she said, following him down the hall toward Cole's room.  
  
Faith grabbed his arm before he went in the room, "Bos, wait," she said. He stopped and turned to her and she could see the anger and disappointment in his face.  
  
"Bos, he doesn't know you're coming so don't just go barging in there. He's ashamed. Proctor recognized his name from when he was here before and told me when I came in that he was here. He didn't ask for you," she said, not wanting to be the one to tell him that Cole didn't want to see him. But, it was her job as his partner and friend. "I'm sorry," she said, letting go of his arm.  
  
"Thanks, Faith. I just want to talk to him for a minute. I just have to ask him why," he said, taking the few steps to the door and pausing to gather himself. Faith watched him walk into the room.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco walked into the room and nodded to the two officers that were with him. "Hey, guys. Can I have a minute?" he asked them and they stepped out of the room. Cole heard his voice and woke up.  
  
"I told them I didn't want you here," Cole said, the anger that Bosco encountered when they first met back again.  
  
"They didn't call me," Bosco said, trying to hold his temper. "One of the nurses recognized your name and thought you'd want me here," he said looking Cole over.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked him, looking at the dark circles under his eyes and the weight loss over the last week and a half since he'd seen him.  
  
"Never better. Don't worry about it. Just leave," Cole said, trying to turn further away from Bosco, refusing to make eye contact with him.  
  
"Not till I know why," Bosco said.  
  
"Why, what?" Cole replied.  
  
"Why you threw everything away. Did I push you too hard, not hard enough?" Bosco asked walking around to the other side to look at his face. Cole turned away from him again.  
  
Bosco reached over and held his face so that he couldn't turn away. "Look me in the eye and tell me why, Cole. I think I deserve at least that," he asked again.  
  
"Because I'm a junkie, that's why. There's no other explanation. I'm weak," he said, trying to fight back his emotions and maintain his tough exterior. He pushed Bosco's arm away.  
  
Bosco just looked at the boy for a minute and then said, "Were you dealing drugs out on the street? Because I never would have pegged you for trying to drag someone else into the life you've had."  
  
"No. That's a lie. I'd never do that. That stuff was mine. It was given...," he stopped talking.  
  
"Given to you by who?" Bosco asked, sensing that maybe there was more to this story than Cole was letting on.  
  
"Nobody. I bought it," he said quickly, trying to cover. "I bought it with the money I saved up from the Center. I can do whatever I want with the money - I earned it," he said.  
  
Bosco nodded his head. "You're right. You can do what you want with it. It's your's. But, trying to sell it to some little kid?" he asked agitated.  
  
"I told you that I didn't do that. I don't even know who that woman was and the cops wouldn't listen to me. Ah, what do you care. You've already made up your mind that I'm guilty," he said, looking away again. "Just leave."  
  
Bosco knew that the conversation was over. He wasn't satisfied with the ending, but he knew he wouldn't get any further tonight. "I'll call your lawyer. He'll either be over tonight or tomorrow. I don't think they're gonna keep you in here, so you'll probably be taken over to the jail. Just sit tight and don't talk to anyone but your lawyer. They'll probably send someone over from Child & Family Services too," he said, turning to walk out.  
  
"What about your girlfried, Ms. Logan? Won't she be coming?" Cole asked. At least he knew her.  
  
Bosco turned back and Cole saw the disappointment that he was trying to hide unsuccessfully. "No. She won't be coming. She's just out of the hospital and still recovering from the beating she took from the Latin Lords who were looking for you," he said harshly. He was angry at himself as soon as the words had come out of his mouth.  
  
"What?" Cole said quietly, looking over to him. "Is she okay? What happened?"  
  
"The Lords attacked her outside of her office the night before you disappeared from the Center. They beat her pretty bad. She's gonna be okay, but she's pretty sore and bruised. I found out the next morning when she woke up that it was the Latin Lords and they took her briefcase that had your records in it. We were afraid they would find out where you were and come after you so I called ahead and then drove up there. You were already gone. We couldn't find you. Me and some of the guys from the police department and the fire department searched for you," he said, walking closer to the bed and pausing. Cole remained silent for a moment.  
  
"I'm sorry Ms. Logan got hurt. Tell her that for me?" Cole said finally.  
  
"Yeah, I'll tell her. Who called you at the Center?" Bosco asked him.  
  
"What?" Cole replied. He knew if Raven found out that Chenise warned him, she was dead. He couldn't live with that.  
  
"The phone records show a call coming into the Center for you from someone here at Mercy. Who was it?" he repeated.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't get any phone call," he started only to be interrupted by Bosco.  
  
"Then why did you take off? Why did you leave the Center?"  
  
"Because I couldn't stand being there anymore. I just had to get out. I needed to get back here to the City," he said.  
  
"So, you could end up back in here? Tell me the truth, Cole. You know I want to help you. Let me help you." Bosco said, almost pleading.  
  
"I told you, I didn't get any phone call from anyone that day," Cole said angrily, wanting to make Bosco leave. If Raven had gone after Ms. Logan, how long would it be before he went after Bosco. Cole was sure that Raven wasn't finished with him yet.  
  
Their conversation was interrupted by the two officers and Detective Thompson who came into the room. "Bosco, we gotta take him over to the jail for processing now. The doctors released him," Officer Jones said.  
  
Bosco nodded his understanding and looked at Cole. "Not a word to anyone but your lawyer, Cole. I mean it," he warned him.  
  
After they got Cole up, cuffed him and walked him out, Bosco called to Detective Thompson.  
  
"Ray," he called. The detective stopped and turned back toward Bosco. "I'll admit he's back on the drugs, but he didn't try to sell to that kid. I promise you that."  
  
"I'd like to believe that, Bosco. But, I think you're letting your feelings get in the way of your thinking. We've got the girl and her mother stating that it did happen and we found him with the drugs in his pocket. The exact same packaging as the girl described to her mother. I'm afraid I've given this kid all the breaks I can. You better call his lawyer," Ray said apologetically.  
  
"Yeah, okay. I'll do that right now. No one is to talk to him until Jenkins gets there. Understand?" Bosco said.  
  
"Yeah, okay," Ray said, walking away to follow the officers and Cole out to the waiting police car.  
  
Faith walked up behind Bosco and watched as they left. "You okay?" she asked him.   
  
"I'll see you at work tomorrow. I'm back on light duty tomorrow," he said as he walked away and into the lounge. He pulled out his wallet and took Alex Jenkins' card out and dialed his number on his cell phone.  
  
Faith watched him through the window of the lounge. She saw his disappointment in the way he held himself. Exactly what she was afraid of happening had happened. He'd opened himself up to this kid and he got burned.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	22. Chapter 22

The Witness  
Chapter 22  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bosco had just hung-up from talking to Alex Jenkins. He advised him of the situation with Cole and Jenkins told him that he'd be over to the jail first thing in the morning. He told Bosco how sorry he was that it didn't work out and that he'd do everything he could to help Cole. Bosco thanked him before hanging up. He looked at his watch - midnight. He put on his coat and headed out of the hospital lounge toward his car. As he walked out the door and toward his car, he got a feeling that he was being watched. He tucked his elbow in toward his belt and felt the comfort of his off-duty weapon at his side.   
  
He reached his car and casually looked around before opening the door. As he stooped to get into the car he heard a voice behind him suddenly.  
  
"You're that friend of Cole's, right?" came the quiet, female voice behind him. Bosco stood up slowly and turned toward the source of the voice. It seemed to be coming from near the dumpster on the side of the lot, about eight feet from Bosco's car.  
  
"Who's there?" Bosco asked, again feeling for his weapon, but this time with his hand on the butt of the gun, prepared to remove it from it's holster.  
  
"I can't tell you my name, but you're that friend of Cole's, right?" the girl asked again.  
  
"Yeah," Bosco said, squinting in hopes of getting a view of who was talking without success. He took a few steps toward the voice and was stopped by an urgent warning.  
  
"No. Don't come any closer. No one can know that I'm talking to you," she said. "He'll kill me if he finds out."  
  
"Who? Who will kill you?" Bosco asked. "I won't let anyone hurt you."  
  
"You won't be able to stop them," she said, her voice suddenly quieter. "I just want you to know that it isn't Cole's fault. He needs your help."  
  
"What isn't?" he asked, looking around to make sure he wasn't being ambushed.  
  
"That he's back on the drugs. It's not his fault. And he didn't try to sell to that girl either," the girl said to him.  
  
"Who are you? How do you know all this?" Bosco asked, hope at what the girl was saying seeping in despite trying not to get his hopes up.  
  
"I can't tell you that. But, Raven's the one that got Cole back on the drugs. He held Cole down and put the drugs in him. Over a few days he kept doing it. It was all over after that. Cole didn't have a chance to beat the craving again on his own," she said.  
  
"What!?" Bosco said, not quite able to comprehend what the girl was saying.  
  
"And he didn't try to sell to that girl either. He put those drugs in Cole's pocket and then dumped him in that alley. That girl's mother is a friend of Raven's and she's lying," the girl said. "I have to go now. I just wanted you to know that in case you still wanted to help Cole," she finished.  
  
"Thanks. But, how do you know all this?" Bosco asked. Only silence answered him. The girl was gone.   
  
He stepped back toward his car and reached inside to get the flashlight that was under the front seat. He turned it on and pointed the beam toward the dumpster. He walked slowly toward the area, his gun now in his hand. He looked around, but found no one there. He turned to head back toward his car when he saw something shimmer on the ground as the light from the flashlight hit it. He stopped and bent down to pick it up.  
  
"Bos?" came another voice, making Bosco jump again. He tightened the grip on his gun before he recognized the voice was Faith's.  
  
"That's a good way to get shot," he said, sarcasm in his voice. "What're you doing here?" he asked, noticing that she was in her street clothes.  
  
"I thought maybe you'd want to talk so I came over after work. I figured if you weren't still here, I'd try your house, but then I saw your car still here in the lot. What're you doing back there?" she asked him, puzzled.  
  
"Cole's being set up," Bosco stated simply.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Faith questioned.  
  
"Somebody was waiting for me to come out. When I got to my car, some girl was waiting behind this dumpster. She told me that Cole didn't go back on the drugs on his own. She told me that Raven forced them on him over a period of days and then dumped him in that alley with the drugs in his pocket," he said, knowing the story sounded crazy.  
  
"What? My God, Bosco? Do you believe her?" Faith asked in astonishment.  
  
"I think so. She was terrified to talk to me. She wouldn't give me her name and wouldn't let me see her. She said that Raven would kill her if he found out she said anything. After she left I got my light and found this on the ground behind the dumpster. It must be hers," he said, indicating the item in his hand.  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	23. Chapter 23

The Witness  
  
Chapter 23  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bosco was sitting in the back of the courtroom listening to Cole's arraignment. True to his word, Alex Jenkins had been at the jail first thing in the morning after talking to Bosco about what had happened in the hospital parking lot last night. He was able to have a conference with the judge and the D.A. in the judge's chambers before the arraignment to explain the situation in detail. They'd been lucky that the case was assigned to a judge that had seen enough kids stashed away in the system, never to be reached again. Jenkins now explained for the court record that Bosco was filing for legal guardianship of Cole and that he had been enrolled in a rehab program here in the City. Bosco noticed Cole look up at his attorney and then back at Bosco at the mention of being in a program here in the City. He knew that Cole was worried about retaliation from Raven and his boys, but Cole didn't know that Raven and a bunch of his crew had been picked up last night in connection with the attack on Katy. Faith had called Bosco on his cell phone on his way over here this morning.  
  
Bosco looked over at Katy and noticed the fatigue on her face. He'd tried to convince her to stay home and rest, but she'd refused. She wanted to be here for both Bosco and Cole. Things had been going really great between them and she knew if she was going to be a part of Bosco's life, then that meant taking Cole in also. "Besides," she'd told Bosco. "I see something in him. In his eyes. He's not too far gone yet. We still have a good chance of bringing him out of this," Bosco remembered her words and smiled inwardly. He reached over and took hold of her hand causing her to look at him.  
  
"You okay?" he whispered to her.   
  
She nodded her head and answered, "Yeah. I'll be better after your drop me off at my place after we post bail for Cole."  
  
"We?" he asked her.  
  
"I'd like to think that we all have a future together, Maurice. At least, I'd like to try," she said, searching his face for his reaction. After a moment she got her answer as he squeezed her hand and his smile broadened.  
  
They were brought back to the hearing by the sound of the judge's voice. "This court orders the defendant released on $5,000 bond to the custody of Officer Maurice Boscorelli of the 55th Precinct of the New York City Police Department, and on condition of his entering and completing a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program as stated previously in this hearing. Let the record show that Officer Boscorelli is present in the courtroom and is available to take custody at this time. Counselors, please see the Court Clerk on your way out to schedule the start of young Mr. Taylor's trial. Young man, I'm putting my faith in you and those that are willing to provide for you. You're a young man with great potential and the ability to turn your life around with the help of some pretty special and dedicated people. Don't disappoint me," the judge said over the top of her glasses before the final blow of her gavel.  
  
"Yes, Ma'am - I mean Your Honor," Cole responded nervously. The bailiff allowed for the participants of Cole's arraignment to gather their belongings and leave the courtroom before calling the next case.  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco and Katy met Cole outside the courtroom after filling out the proper forms and posting the customary ten percent of the bail amount. Cole sat next to Katy while Bosco and his attorney discussed a few things.  
  
"So, how are you feeling?" Katy asked him, trying to make conversation.  
  
"Nervous and sick," he answered hesitantly.   
  
"We'll get you taken care of, Cole. You just need to give it some time," she assured him, putting a hand over his.  
  
She felt him stiffen under her touch and casually took her hand away. After a moment, he finally found the courage to say what he'd needed to say.  
  
"Ms. Logan? I just wanted to apologize to you for what you went through. The attack, I mean. I'm really sorry that it happened. You're a nice woman," Cole said.  
  
"Well, Cole. I'm gonna be just fine and I don't blame you a bit for what happened to me. I'm just sorry I wasn't able to fend them off and prevent them finding out where you were," she said to him.  
  
"Well, I guess we're ready to go," Bosco said as he walked up to them. "You want to wait here while I get the car? Or Cole, why don't you help her to the door and help her down the stairs while I bring the car around," he suggested.  
  
"Sure," Cole agreed, some of his nervousness fading. They watched Bosco walk out the front of the building to retrieve the car and Cole turned to Katy.  
  
"I'm just afraid that Raven will do worse when he finds out I'm here in the City," he said, looking around suspiciously as he helped Katy to the door and down the stairs.  
  
"Cole, you needn't worry about that. Raven and his crew were picked up last night in connection with the attack on me and some other charges, including the fire where that elderly couple died," she informed him.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"My guess is that he won't be a problem for you. You can concentrate on getting well and getting back on track," she said with a smile. They reached the curb just as Bosco pulled up. He jumped out and came around the car to open the door. Cole got in the back and Bosco helped Katy into the car.  
  
"You coming to my place?" Bosco asked as they pulled away from the courthouse.  
  
"Actually, I'm looking forward to getting back to my place and crashing on the couch. I'm beat. Besides, I think you two need time to get settled and comfortable. I'll see you tomorrow," she said, looking over at Bosco and noticing the nervous look on his face. She reached over and casually squeezed his hand to tell him that everything would be okay.  
  
"Okay, but I want you to call me when you wake up from your nap so I know you're doing okay. And don't hesitate to call me - I mean us - if you need anything," he said, looking in the rearview mirror at Cole. It felt weird having someone in his care, but it was a good weird.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	24. Chapter 24

The Witness  
  
Chapter 24  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Cole followed Bosco and Katy up the stairs to her apartment and waited while Bosco got her something to eat and then made sure she was settled on the couch.  
  
He watched as Bosco leaned over to kiss her. "Don't forget to call me when you wake up so I know you're okay," he reminded her.  
  
"Yes, Doctor Boscorelli," she teased him and Cole smiled at the exchange. He was not meant to hear Bosco's retort, but he overheard it anyway without Bosco and Katy knowing it and stifled a laugh.  
  
"I'd love to doctor you, Ms. Logan," Bosco whispered to her and Katy put her hand on his cheek.  
  
"Mmmm. I think I'd like that. We'll have to schedule an appointment," Katy said back.  
  
Bosco suddenly remembered that Cole was there and cleared his throat and stood up. "Okay, you need anything else before we take off?"  
  
"Nope. I'm all set. I've got my remote and the phone so I'm good to go," she said. "Thanks again guys, for bringing me home."  
  
"Okay," Bosco said taking one last look around the apartment to see if he was forgetting anything. "Let's hit the road," he said to Cole.  
  
"Okay. G'bye, Ms. Logan. I hope you feel better soon," Cole said.  
  
"Thanks, Cole. But, you can call me Katy. And, you can call me whenever you want. I mean it," she said.  
  
"Thanks," he said, blushing slightly.  
  
Bosco opened the door and the two walked out. As Bosco turned back to close the door he gave Katy a wink and she whispered, "Good luck and just go with the flow for tonight."  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco was driving and he glanced over at Cole who was looking around the car. "Everything okay?"  
  
"Yeah. This car is awesome. The color's great," he said with typical teenage boy enthusiasm.  
  
"Thanks. There's something there in the glove box for you," Bosco said. Cole reached down and opened the door and the only thing he saw was an envelope with a bow on it.  
  
"What is it?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
"Well, I noticed when I was filling out the paperwork the other day that you had a birthday a few days ago. I wanted to get you something. I hope you like it," he said.  
  
Cole turned the envelope over and began to open it. He frowned as he looked at the papers inside. He pulled them out and unfolded them, still not understanding what they were. When he looked back at Bosco, he noticed the grin on his face.  
  
"What is it?" he asked.  
  
"Well, you just turned 16, right?" Bosco asked and Cole nodded.  
  
"What do most 16 year olds want right away when they turn 16?" he asked. Cole looked closer at the papers and Bosco said, "All you have to do is finish filling them out and sign them. We have an appointment for this afternoon."  
  
It finally dawned on Cole what the papers were for. "You mean, you're gonna take me for my Learner's Permit? You're gonna teach me to drive?"  
  
"If you want to. Like I said, we have an appointment for this afternoon," he repeated, reaching down and pulling a booklet out from under the seat of his car. He handed the study booklet over to Cole and said, "You can read through this at home and then we'll head over for the test if you think you're ready. If you need more time, that's okay too."  
  
"Thanks, Bosco. Really. I'd definitely like to try this afternoon," Cole said, returning the smile to Bosco.  
  
"Happy Birthday, Cole," Bosco said, pulling around the corner and parking in front of his apartment building.  
  
They walked upstairs and opened the door only to find Faith, Sully, Ty and some of the guys from the firehouse inside. They had streamers and balloons set up and Bosco was as shocked as Cole was to see the big banner that read, "Welcome Home, Cole!" with "Happy 16th Birthday!" underneath it.  
  
"Wow," was all Cole could say as the gang gathered around and welcomed him. He was thrilled to be here, but he hoped he could live up to everyone's expectations. He still had the craving for the drugs and alcohol and his doctor told him that it would never completely go away, but he'd get better and better at controlling them. "Boy, could I use a drink right now," he thought to himself.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	25. Chapter 25

The Witness  
  
Chapter 25  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Nope. Everything's going fine here. You missed a hell of a party and Cole got his Learner's Permit this afternoon. I'll tell him. How about you? You sure you don't need anything?" Bosco asked Katy on the phone.  
  
"Okay, I'll talk to you in the morning then," he said, finally hanging up.  
  
Cole was sitting in the chair across from him with a big smile on this face as he turned the card over and over in his hand. Bosco smiled and stood up. "Katy says congratulations on passing your test."  
  
"Whoa! Look at this place! You'd think they'd at least clean up before they left," Bosco joked. They didn't know about the party ahead of time and Bosco felt kind of bad about telling Faith that he'd promised Cole he'd take him for his test. Everyone was very understanding and wished him luck as Bosco drove him down to the DMV.  
  
Cole stood up and said, "That's okay. I'll clean it up."  
  
"No, WE'LL clean it up. You look tired. You okay?" he asked him.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I am a little tired though. I think as soon as we get done cleaning up I'm gonna turn in," Cole said, looking around the room to see where he might have to sleep.  
  
Bosco suddenly realized that because of all the people and rushing out for the test, he'd never really given Cole the tour of the place - not that it was that big of a place. "Sorry. I forgot to show you around and where your room is," Bosco said.  
  
"My room?" Cole asked, surprised.  
  
"Of course. You don't think I'm gonna make you sleep on the couch, do you? Well, this is the living room and that's the kitchen. I think I stocked it okay so feel free to eat whatever you want and if there's something you like that you want me to include with the groceries, just let me know," he said and Cole nodded.  
  
"Okay, down here is the bathroom - towels are in this closet right here. My room's at the end of the hall and your room's right here next to the bathroom. It's kind of small. I was thinking of looking for a bigger place, but everything happened kind of fast," he said, looking over at Cole.  
  
"It's fine. Really. Thanks," he said.  
  
"Alright. Well, you have an early doctor's appointment to get those stitches out of your head so you might want to hit the rack. I'll take care of cleaning up cause you don't know where everything goes yet," Bosco said, scratching his head as he looked at the mess. "And I'm not sure either. I didn't know I had all this stuff," he said, looking around at the empty plates and bowls and glasses.  
  
"You sure you don't want any help?" Cole asked and Bosco told him he'd take care of it.   
  
"Okay. Well, g'night then," Cole said, shaking Bosco's hand awkwardly.  
  
"If the traffic isn't too bad, maybe I'll let you drive in the morning. I scheduled your rehab program for the afternoon/evening session. I figured that way we'd get you enrolled in the school down the street and you'd be able to have your sessions after, while I'm working. My Ma said she'd pick you up and bring you here after your session and stay until I get home from work - usually around 11:30, unless I get tied up on something," Bosco explained.  
  
"Your Mom?" Cole said.  
  
"Oh yeah. You'll meet her tomorrow. She's a little eccentric, but she's okay. She won't give you any hassles - she's cool," he reassured Cole. "And Faith's daughter, Emily, will be going to the same school as you so you can meet her ahead of time too," Bosco remembered.  
  
"Great. Well, I guess I'll turn in," he said awkwardly again.  
  
"Okay. Oh, you're medicine is over on the table in that bag. Don't forget to take it before you turn in. Let me know if you need anything else," he said.  
  
"Yeah, okay," Cole said, walking over to get the medicine that was supposed to help him with his cravings. Bosco began cleaning up and watching out of the corner of his eye to make sure that Cole took his pill and if he needed anything else. He listened as Cole went into the bathroom and used the new toothbrush that Bosco had put in there. He always kept spares in case a "friend" ended up staying over. "Only one friend had been staying over as of late," he thought to himself with a smile.  
  
He was throwing the trash away and turned around to see Cole standing in the hallway, looking as though he needed something.  
  
"What's up?" Bosco asked lightly.  
  
"Um. Can I borrow something to sleep in. I don't have any clothes besides these," he said, a little ashamed.  
  
"Oh, sorry Cole. Sure. I'll give you a pair of my sweats if that's okay. They might be a little big. That's something else we'll take care of tomorrow - getting you outfitted," he said leading Cole into his room and grabbing a pair of sweats out of his bottom drawer for him. "Why don't you give me your clothes and I'll go down and put them in the laundry so you'll have something to wear in the morning," Bosco suggested.  
  
"Okay. Thanks again," he said and Bosco noticed the awkwardness.  
  
Bosco sat on the edge of his bed and looked up at Cole. "Why don't you sit here for a minute. I want to talk to you."  
  
Cole sat down stiffly, wondering what the problem was. "Maybe he's decided that it won't work after all," he thought to himself.  
  
"Cole, first let me say that I'm glad you're here. I want you to feel like this is your home, because it is. Your welcome to anything I have and if you need something I want you to tell me. It doesn't mean I'm gonna get it for you, but I'll be fair," Bosco said with a smile. "I know I'm not your father, and I'm not pretending to be. This is new for me too and I'm gonna make mistakes. But, it's my intention to make sure that from this point on you have everything you need to be happy and healthy," he finished looking over at Cole. "It's gonna be hard work at first, but as you advance in your rehab program, you'll have more time for friends and stuff. But, you'll get there."  
  
"Thanks, Bosco. I really appreciate everything you've done for me. And, I'll try hard to make it worth your time," Cole said.  
  
"Don't try for me. I want you to do it for you, Cole. You deserve some happiness and good memories, okay?"  
  
"Yeah," he said, looking down at his lap.  
  
"Okay, lights out. I'll see you in the morning," Bosco said, lightly slapping Cole on the back and standing up. He watched as Cole went into his room and waited out in the hall for him to hand out his dirty clothes.  
  
"I'm just going to the basement to put this stuff in the washer. I'll be right back," he told him.  
  
"Okay. See you in the morning, Bos," Cole said.   
  
Bosco grabbed his keys and the detergent and walked out of the apartment and headed to the basement.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
He headed down the hallway, with a good feeling. A feeling that everything was finally going to work out.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
Cole turned the light out in his new room after turning on the portable radio that Bosco had put in there. He laid on his back, looking up at the ceiling and wondering if he was going to be able to do this.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	26. Chapter 26

The Witness  
  
Chapter 26  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Well, it was a new week, the beginning of the week. The day that Cole was to start school. He'd met Emily over the weekend and she was okay. Cole could tell that she was being forced by Mrs. Yokas to be friendly with him. He'd let her know as soon as they got to school that she could ditch him if she wanted; that he'd be okay on his own.  
  
"Ready?" Bosco asked him as there was a knock on the front door. "That must be Faith and Emily."  
  
"Um, yeah," Cole answered, the butterflies in his stomach intensifying. Bosco opened the door and Faith and Emily came in.  
  
"Hey, Cole," Emily said with a smile.  
  
"Hey, Emily," he answered.  
  
"You ready?"  
  
"Yup. Let me grab my book bag," Cole said, standing up and grabbing his stuff.  
  
"Have a great day," Bosco said to the two as they opened the door. "Don't forget Rose is gonna pick you up at school and bring you over to the center. If you need anything, I've always got my cell phone with me and I'll be home right after work."  
  
"Okay. See you later," Cole said, somewhat embarrassed at Bosco's hovering over him. He was annoyed by it, but he was amused too. Bosco wasn't sure what HE was supposed to do and Cole wasn't sure what HE was supposed to do, so it was kind of comical. He had to hide his smirk as he saw Faith reach out and grab his arm, pulling him away from the door so Cole could leave with some dignity.  
  
"Bye, Em," Faith called after her daughter.  
  
"Bye, Mom," she said without looking back. Faith thought she saw the two kids roll their eyes as they closed the door.  
  
"What was that for?" Bosco asked her, referring to her pulling his arm.  
  
"You were smothering him," Faith said. "Kids that age don't want to have their parents hovering so much. He'll be fine. Emily will make sure," she assured him.  
  
"Yeah, well. I'm still new at this," Bosco said in his own defense.  
  
"No problem. I'm not and I still don't have all the answers," she said, winking at him. "Okay, so I'll see you at work later, right?"  
  
"Right. Thanks Faith, for all your help," Bosco said as he walked her to the door.  
  
"Anytime, Bos. Don't hesitate. You're doing a great thing. How's Katy doing?" Faith asked.  
  
"Pretty good, actually. She's gonna go back to work today. She's still a little sore, but the bruising is all gone so she feels better about going outside," he told her.  
  
"Good. No more problems on the gang front?" she asked.  
  
"Not so far. The detectives are still trying to track down that girl from the hospital parking lot. They still think she's the one that called Cole at the rehab center Upstate," he told her.  
  
"Cole's still not talking about that?"  
  
"No. I think he's afraid whoever it was will pay the price from Raven's boys if he finds out about it," Bosco explained.  
  
"Okay. We'll I'll see you later then," Faith said, walking out the door.  
  
Bosco closed the door behind her and took a deep breath. "Finally, some alone time," he thought to himself. This was going to take some getting used to.  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Cole made it through the day, getting the usual stares from the kids for being the "new kid." He told Emily she could ditch him if she wanted, but she said she didn't want to - that he was cool. Luckily, hey had lunch scheduled at the same time so he had someone to sit with and she introduced him to a bunch of her friends. They didn't give him the look like they knew what had happened to him, and for that he was grateful. If he became good friends with any of them, he was sure he'd eventually tell them, but for right now it was no one's business.  
  
He walked out the front door of the school and saw Rose Boscorelli standing there waiting for him. Bosco was right - she was eccentric and a little cooky, but she was cool. He walked over to her.  
  
"Hi, Mrs. Boscorelli," he said to her.  
  
"What? Who's that?" she teased him. "What'd I tell you to call me," she said with a smirk.  
  
"Oh, uh, sorry. Rose," he answered.  
  
"Alright then. Are you ready to go?" she asked leading him over to her car. He nodded and she stopped and turned. "So, did school go okay today?"  
  
"Yeah, it did. Not as bad as I thought it was gonna be," he answered. "She's easy to talk to," Cole thought to himself.  
  
"Good. Okay, I'd let you drive, but Maurice told me that he was the only one that could teach you - or at least that I couldn't," she said, tapping the fender of her car where the large dent was. "He thinks I could learn a thing or two about driving, apparently," she joked, making Cole chuckle.  
  
Rose drove to the center and parked the car. "I'm gonna come in with you, okay?" she asked him.  
  
"Uh, I guess so," he replied.  
  
"Just for the first time at least. In case they need anything signed and to find out exactly where you need to go. Then, if you don't want me to, I'll just drop you off after that, okay?" she said.  
  
"Sure," Cole replied as they both got out of the car and walked into the building.   
  
They room was full of kids the same age as Cole and he looked around to see if he knew anyone - hoping that he didn't. So far, no one looked familiar. Rose walked over to the desk and spoke with the man sitting there. After a moment, she called Cole over.  
  
"Hi, Cole. I'm Joseph. Good to meet you," replied the man, extending his hand for Cole to shake. Cole shook his hand and said, "Hi. I'm Cole Taylor."  
  
Joseph held up his hand and said, "From now on, first names only. We have your full name in the file, but there's no reason for everyone to know - unless you want them to. Why don't you come with me and I'll show you around and explain a few things. I'll be your counselor here at the center, so if there's anything you need or if you have questions, or if you just want to talk - about anything - I'm here for you. Okay?"  
  
Cole shook his head and looked over at Rose. "I'll pick you up at 8:00, okay?" Cole nodded and said goodbye.   
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Rose was back at work and her phone rang. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Ma. How'd it go?" Bosco asked her.  
  
"Hi Maurice. It went okay. He said he had a good day at school and I went into the center with him to make sure that he got settled okay. His counselor's name is Joseph and he seems like a nice guy. He was being introduced to some of the other kids his age as I was leaving. I have to pick him up at 8:00," she reported.  
  
"Great. He seemed okay? Not depressed or nervous or anything?" Bosco asked her.  
  
"He seemed good, Maurice. We talked a little bit on the way over. He said that he liked his school so far. None of the kids gave him a hard time and that Emily's friends were nice."  
  
"Good. Faith will be glad to hear that," Bosco said and Rose heard Faith in the background say, "Faith will be glad to hear what?"  
  
"That Emily has nice friends," Bosco told Faith. "Oh," Rose heard Faith say.  
  
"So, are you sure you don't mind picking him up every night?" Bosco asked, worried that he was making life difficult for his mother who was trying to run a business - primarily a nighttime business.  
  
"Not at all. Things don't really get hopping around here until 11:30 anyway and you'll be home by then. Carrie can keep things under control between 8:00 and then," Rose said, referring to one of her best bartenders.  
  
"Thanks, Ma. It won't be forever. As he makes progress in the program, he'll be able to do more stuff at school after hours and then he can hang out at your apartment upstairs until I get off work," Bosco told her.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Maurice. He seems like a great kid, but I'll just bring him to your place every time. That way he'll get a better sense of being 'home,'" she said, looking at her watch. "Well, I better head over there. I don't want to be late picking him up.  
  
"Okay. Ask him to give me a call later so I can talk to him before he goes to sleep. That's the only thing I hate - getting home after he's asleep in case he needs to talk about something," Bosco said.  
  
"Well, you're there every morning for him and the nights you're off work. He'll be fine. He's got a good network of support between you, Faith, Me, the center and the friends he'll be making at school," Rose said. "I'll see you when you get home tonight," she said, hanging up the phone.  
  
"Carrie. I'm gonna go pick up Cole. I'll be at Maurice's if you need me," she called to the bartender.  
  
"Okay, Rose. Don't worry. I'll hold the fort," Carrie called to her.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
Rose picked Cole up and he seemed a little quiet. "How'd everything go tonight?" she asked him cautiously, trying not to push. "Only if you want to tell me, though," she quickly added.  
  
"It went okay. There's a lot of kids there that were in the same boat as me. It's pretty sad," he said, somewhat subdued.  
  
"Yeah. But they're getting the help they need - just like you. So, what d'you want for a snack? I'm gonna stop at the grocery on the corner because I need some milk, coffee and bread at home. You ate dinner at the center, right?" she asked.  
  
Cole nodded. "I'm not really hungry. I've got some homework left and then I'm gonna go to bed, I think. I'm really beat," he said.  
  
"Well, that's not surprising. You had a pretty full day," Rose said as she looked for a parking space near the store, without luck.  
  
"I'll go in for you if you want to just circle the block," Cole offered.  
  
"Okay. If you don't mind," she said. She fished into her purse and handed him a twenty dollar bill. "Half a gallon of skim milk, a can of coffee - not decaf - and a loaf of wheat bread, okay?"  
  
"Got it," he said, getting out of the car and heading into the store.   
  
Rose circled the block a couple of times and came back around again to find Cole standing outside waiting for her with the bag of groceries in his hand. She pulled up and he got in.  
  
"Get everything?" she said.  
  
"Yup. You said NOT decaf right?"  
  
"Definitely. You don't survive working all night on decaf," she joked.   
  
"Here's you change," he said, handing her the wadded up change and watching as she shoved it into her pocket without checking how much was there.  
  
They got home and Rose made him a sandwich despite him saying that he wasn't very hungry. He ate half and Rose at the other half.  
  
He'd finished up the last of his homework and was watching television when Rose called to him from the kitchen. "Cole, I forgot. Maurice wants you to call him on his cell. He wants to talk to you before you turn in," she told him.  
  
"Okay," he said, getting up and getting the phone. He dialed Bosco's number and it was answered on the third ring.  
  
"Boscorelli," Bosco answered.  
  
"Hey Bosco. It's Cole. You wanted me to call you?" he said, hearing the sound of the siren in the background.  
  
"Cole. Hi. How was your day?" Bosco asked over the sound of the siren.  
  
"It was okay. Shouldn't you be keeping both hands on the wheel if you're driving with the siren on?" he said into the phone.  
  
"Faith's driving - and like an old lady I might add," he said, loud enough that Faith could hear him.  
  
"I heard that!" Cole heard Faith say in the background and laughed.  
  
"I just wanted to talk to you before you turned in. Everything okay?" Bosco asked him.  
  
"Yeah. Everything went pretty good today," Cole said.  
  
"Okay. I'll talk to you in the morning then. I'll check in on you when I get home," he said. "I've gotta go for now," he said, hanging up the phone.  
  
"Oka...," Cole was cut off by the dial tone in his ear. He hung up the phone and stretched. "I'm gonna take a shower and go to bed," he told Rose.   
  
"Okay. G'night, Cole," she said to him.  
  
"Thanks, Rose," he said to her with a smile and then walked down the hallway.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Cole walked into his room and started to get undressed. He took off his shirt and noticed the item that he'd bought with Rose's money still tucked into his waistband of his pants. He pulled out the small bottle of vodka and held it up. He started to unscrew the cap, but stopped. He took a deep breath and shoved the bottle in the bottom of his top drawer, out of sight - winning out over the urge for now.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	27. Chapter 27

The Witness  
  
Chapter 27  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Cole was walking down the corridor of the hospital with Bosco. He'd picked him up early from school on his day off. He had an appointment for a follow-up with Dr. Barton so that he could check his blood levels from the medication he was required to take. It was also a condition of his release that he have regularly-scheduled urine tests to determine that he was not taking any illegal drugs. The date of his trial was coming up and they had to make sure that everything was in order and done before the start of it so they didn't give the prosecution any ammunition.  
  
They still weren't able to find out who had called Cole from the hospital and they'd had no luck with the key card that Bosco had found in the parking lot after his anonymous visit that night at the hospital.  
  
"Do you remember where this lab is?" Bosco asked as they walked down the hallway looking at the room numbers.  
  
"I think it's right around here somewhere," Cole answered.  
  
"Cole?" came a girl's voice from a doorway they had just passed. Bosco and Cole stopped and walked back a few steps until they were at the door that the voice had come from.  
  
"It IS you!" said the girl as she walked over to the doorway in her uniform.  
  
"Chenise?" Cole said, not recognizing her in a uniform.  
  
"Yeah. It's me. I'm in nursing school and I just started my rotation on the floors," she said. "You look great. What've you been up to?"  
  
"Uh, thanks. Not much. Going to school. You know, the usual," he answered, feeling Bosco's stare on him.   
  
Finally, he couldn't ignore it any longer when Bosco cleared his throat and introduced himself.  
  
"Hi. I'm Maurice Boscorelli. A friend of Cole's. And you are?" Bosco asked, holding out his hand to shake hands with the girl who was suddenly very shy and quiet.  
  
"Oh. This is Chenise. She goes to my school," he started to explain.  
  
"But, I thought you said that you were in nursing school," Bosco questioned.  
  
"Oh yeah, she graduated early. She's one of the smart ones - or was. Well, it was good seeing you again, Chenise," Cole said as he nudged Bosco away.  
  
"Yeah, you too, Cole," said the girl, disappearing quickly back into the room she came out of.  
  
Bosco was suspicious, but decided not to push it right now. There was something familiar about the girl, but he decided he'd probably seen her around the emergency room when he and Faith were there with a prisoner.  
  
"Here it is," Cole said, indicating that he'd found the lab they were looking for.   
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
Cole had his blood drawn and his urinalysis done and they were on their way back home in no time.  
  
Bosco noticed how quiet Cole had been since they were at the hospital. "You okay, Cole?" he asked him. "You're pretty quiet," he observed as he checked his mirror to make sure that Cole wasn't pulling out into the middle of traffic. Bosco'd been letting him drive and he was doing a pretty good job of it.  
  
Cole shrugged and said, "Just concentrating."  
  
"So, you seemed to know that girl - what was her name - Chenise pretty well," Bosco mentioned.  
  
Bosco was busy watching a car approaching him pretty quickly to notice the nervous look come across Cole's face. "Watch this jag-off coming up on the right," Bosco warned him.  
  
"I see him," Cole answered, maneuvering the car over a little to give the guy some more room. "I met her on my first day of school. She was pretty nice. We had a couple of classes together before she graduated early," he lied.  
  
"Oh. That's nice," Bosco said as Cole pulled the car up in front of the apartment building.  
  
"So, I haven't seen Katy in awhile," Cole said, trying to change the subject.  
  
"Yeah, her Mom's been sick so she went to Massachusetts to help her. She's supposed to call tonight as a matter of fact," he said, taking the car keys that Cole had handed him. "Good job driving today," he said. "Won't be long until you can try for your license."  
  
"Thanks," Cole said as they got out and went into the building.  
  
As Bosco opened the door, the phone was ringing and Bosco ran over to answer it before the machine picked up.  
  
"Tell Katy I said hi," Cole called to him as he headed for his room. He closed the door behind him and took a deep breath, finally letting the shaking that he'd held inside out. He walked over to the dresser and opened the drawer. He took out the still unopened bottle of vodka that was under the clothes and held it in his hand.  
  
"What're you doing? You okay?" came Bosco's voice from behind him. He noticed Cole drop something quickly into the drawer, but didn't let on.   
  
He dropped the bottle into the dresser and closed it, not sure whether Bosco had seen it or not. He turned around quickly and saw a disappointed look on Bosco's face. "He must have seen it," he thought to himself, shame washing over him.  
  
"That was Tony Jenkins on the phone," Bosco said. "You're only 15?" he asked him.  
  
"What?" Cole said.  
  
"According to the paperwork that Jenkins has, you're only 15 - not 16," Bosco said again. "Care to explain why you let me take you for your Learner's Permit when you weren't old enough?"  
  
Cole couldn't believe it. "I didn't know. I mean, I thought I was only 15, but you had all the paperwork and everything so I thought maybe I had the wrong information all this time," Cole said sincerely. He honestly didn't know that he was doing anything wrong.  
  
"Okay. Well, I have to notify the DMV and there's no more driving until you're legal," Bosco said. Cole shook his head and handed Bosco his permit from his wallet. "Sorry," Bosco said, seeing the disappointment on Cole's face. "But, you'll have a leg up when you really are 16." Cole nodded and gave a slight smile.  
  
"So, have you got a lot of homework?" Bosco asked.  
  
"Not too much," he answered.  
  
"Okay, why don't you get started while I start some dinner? How's tacos sound?" he asked turning away and walking down the hallway. "Then, if you get your homework done, we'll watch the game tonight."  
  
"Yeah, sounds great," Cole said, following him out. Turns out they were both Yankee fans and loved watching the games together when Bosco wasn't working. Bosco had even gotten pretty decent tickets to a couple of home games this year.  
  
Cole grabbed his book bag and sat down at the table to start working, trying to shove away the craving for the bottle that was in his dresser. He'd managed to keep the feeling at bay up until now, but today had been too close and the urge was very strong.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^^*  
  
Cole had finished his homework and they had the tacos while they watched the game. Bosco noticed that Cole only had one, which was unusual for him. "You're not hungry?" he asked him.  
  
"Actually, my stomach's a little sour tonight. I'm pretty tired too. I think I'm gonna turn in early if that's okay," Cole said.  
  
Bosco looked at his watch and saw that it was only 8:30. "Yeah, sure. No problem. You want an antacid or something?" he asked, reaching over to see if he had a fever.  
  
"No. I think I'm just wiped out. I'll probably be better in the morning," Cole said, standing up. He picked up his book bag and put it by the door so he'd know where it was in the morning. "G'night," he said as he walked past Bosco and headed to his room.  
  
"G'night," Bosco said, watching him.   
  
Cole went into his room and closed the door tightly behind him. He turned his radio on low and walked over to the window and stared out. The feeling was getting stronger and stronger and when he couldn't take it anymore, he walked over to his dresser and took the bottle out. "I'll just take a little sip," he told himself as he broke the seal on the bottle. The next thing he knew, the bottle was empty and he was feeling very unsteady. He put the bottle in his trashcan and made a mental note to empty the trash in the morning before Bosco got up. He laid down on his bed and quickly feel asleep, the alcohol ensuring a sound sleep.  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco was on the phone with Katy at about 9:30. He looked in to check on him just before Katy had called and he was sound asleep. He threw a blanket over him and closed the door again.  
  
"So, how's your Mom?" he asked Katy, missing her even more now that he heard her voice.  
  
"She's doing better. My sister Hannah is here now, so I'm gonna head home for the rest of the week. I don't even want to see what my desk looks like at the office," she groaned.  
  
"Yeah, well that's not all that's missed you," he said into the phone.  
  
"Oh yeah? What else?" she teased him.  
  
"Uh, that would be me!" he answered, acting hurt.  
  
"Awww. Poor Maurice. Well, I'll be home tomorrow. Any chance of seeing you for dinner?" she asked hopefully.  
  
"Absolutely! Cole's been asking about you too," he told her.  
  
"How is Cole?" she asked. "Any more word on his trial?"  
  
"Actually, I heard from Tony today. Apparently, Cole is only 15, meaning that he's been driving my mustang illegally for the past three weeks," he told her.  
  
"What? How'd that happen?" she asked.  
  
"Some mix-up with the paperwork. His birthday is actually November 19, 1988, not 1987," he explained.  
  
"Oh, poor kid. How'd he take it?"  
  
"Not bad, actually. But, he did go to bed early tonight complaining of a stomach ache," he told her.  
  
"He'll probably be fine in the morning," she told him. "Well, I'm gonna turn in myself. I want to get an early start in the morning. I'll call you when I get back in town?"  
  
"I'll be waiting. Drive carefully," he said.  
  
"I will. Love you," she said.  
  
"Me too," he said, smiling as he hung up the phone.  
  
He spent the next hour, cleaning up around the apartment and watching the rest of the game before deciding to head off to bed himself. He was just about to get into bed when he remembered that the garbage needed to go down to the curb tonight so the garbage truck could pick it up in the morning. He shoved his sneakers on and grabbed his wastebasket on the way up the hall. He quietly opened Cole's door and took his can also. He dumped his stuff into Cole's basket and grabbed the basket from the bathroom. He added that one to the kitchen trash and carried the two baskets down the stairs. He dropped one at the bottom of the stairs and heard the breaking of glass as it hit the floor.  
  
"Dammit!" he cursed to himself. He bent over to pick up the can and noticed the broken glass was from Cole's trash can. He started to pick it up and put it back in the can when he noticed the label. He held it up to the light and read it in disbelief.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	28. Chapter 28

The Witness  
  
Chapter 28  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bosco sat in the darkness, dozing only occasionally, waiting for daylight to come. He'd wanted to wake Cole up as soon as he found the bottle, but then he thought about it and realized that he was too angry. He'd say things he didn't mean. And, even though he could understand it, he couldn't understand it. And so, here he sat, wondering what and how to confront him with what he'd found. He looked over at the broken glass bottle that he brought back up with him.  
  
Slowly, the hours ticked away with as he sat staring blankly at the television and pacing around the apartment. He looked in on Cole a couple of times to see him sleeping soundly, not knowing that he'd been found out. He wondered if he was still doing the drugs too, but then realized that it would have shown up on the blood work and urine tests - but then, wouldn't the alcohol have shown up too? Maybe he shouldn't confront him right now until he knew a little bit more. Maybe he should talk to Cole's doctor first.  
  
Finally, it was 6:15 a.m. - time for Cole to get up and ready for school. He heard the boy's alarm clock go off and heard him moving around in his room. He saw him run from the bedroom to the bathroom and heard him getting sick. Bosco got up and moved the broken bottle into a bag and put it away for now. He put a pot of coffee on and was pouring a cup for himself when Cole trudged out into the kitchen.  
  
"You okay?" Bosco asked him coolly.  
  
"I don't feel so good," he told him. Bosco looked at him, the anger rising again.  
  
"Yeah, well you don't look so good either. Can you make it to school?" he asked him, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice.  
  
Cole looked over at him. "You don't look so good yourself," Cole said, looking at Bosco's tired eyes and early morning beard.  
  
"Yeah, well I didn't sleep last night," was all Bosco said, unable to look Cole in the eye.  
  
"Oh, sorry. You okay?" Cole asked him, knowing something was wrong but not knowing what. Suddenly, another wave of nausea hit him and he made another run for the bathroom.  
  
After he'd come out of the bathroom, he went back into his room and lay across his bed. Bosco came in and quietly said, "I called school and told them you wouldn't be in today."  
  
"Thanks. If I feel better later I can go, right?" he asked.  
  
Bosco shrugged, "I don't know. Probably. You've got a session at the center this afternoon, right?" Cole nodded.  
  
"Well, let me know if you feel up to that. If not I'll have to call them and call in to work and tell them I can't come in," he said, turning to walk out of the room. Cole got up and followed him.  
  
"Why? I can stay home by myself. I'm not a two year old," Cole said irritably.  
  
"Oh? You can stay home by yourself? You can be trusted?" Bosco started, unable to control himself. Cole watched Bosco in shock walk over to the kitchen and reach into the cabinet.  
  
"Is this why you want me to leave? So you have more time to get drunk again? Or, maybe you want to try to score some more drugs?" he said, holding up the broken bottle, the words out before he could stop them.  
  
Cole looked at the floor. "Bosco, I'm sor..."  
  
"Save it, Cole! I just don't want to hear it right now. Are you doing drugs again too? Have the last few weeks just been a sham?" Bosco asked in anger.  
  
"What?! No!" Cole answered, looking directly at Bosco. "I just..."  
  
"What? You didn't have anyone to talk to? C'mon, Cole. I don't want excuses. I want the truth!" Bosco said angrily.  
  
"No, you want to believe the worst," he yelled back, quickly walking to the door and walking out. Bosco didn't notice that he'd grabbed his car keys off the table on his way out the door. He thought that Cole was just going out to walk off some anger. He watched him pacing in front of the building and then went to get his jacket and go talk to him. He grabbed for his apartment/car keys off the table as he started out the door and realized that they were gone. He looked at the floor, thinking maybe they'd fallen off the table and didn't find them. Suddenly, it dawned on him that Cole must have taken them. He opened the door and raced downstairs only to find Cole gone - along with his car too.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	29. Chapter 29

The Witness  
  
Chapter 29  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Cole found himself driving around the City. He had no idea where he'd go. He knew he needed a drink and maybe something else. He fought the urges as hard has he could, but continued to drive. If he stopped, he knew he'd be in trouble. He also knew it was only a matter of time before he'd be found. After all, a shiny blue, mint mustang was hardly low-profile. He was sure that Bosco would have advised the police department to be on the look-out for it.  
  
Before he realized it, he found himself in his old stomping grounds. He drove around the familiar streets, taking in the familiar sites of young kids standing around on the corners waiting for their next drug customer. "God," he thought to himself. "I could really use something." He felt the front pocket of his jeans and realized that he'd left his money at home. Home. There's a funny thought. Not home anymore. Cole knew there was no way that he'd be able to go back there. He'd screwed up too bad. No way Bosco would want him back there. The urge grew stronger. He pulled the car over to the curb and opened the glove box and rummaged around under the seats, looking for money that maybe Bosco left there. He looked in the back seat and saw Bosco's jacket there. He grabbed it and felt through the pockets, finding a ten dollar bill. Bingo! He got out of the car and walked up to the first kid he saw, looking around to make sure that none of Raven's boys saw him.  
  
He made his purchase and quickly got back to Bosco's car as a few of the neighborhood car thieves were looking it over. "Hey, man! Where'd you get this nice car. This car is too nice for you," came the tauntings of one of the men.  
  
"It's not mine. It's a friend of mine's and if I don't bring it back... Man, you don't want that kind of pain," Cole said, jumping in and starting the engine, thinking of what Bosco would do to anyone that hurt his car. He quickly threw it into drive just as the three men started to surround the car. Driving off, he looked in his rearview mirror to see the gestures being thrown in his direction.  
  
He drove around some more, feeling soothed by the drugs that he held in his hand. He didn't want to take it, but he knew it wouldn't be long before the urge was too strong. Who was he trying to kid? He was an addict. It was too late for him.  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
Bosco had just hung up the phone from talking to Faith. He'd come upstairs when he found his car gone and called Katy and Faith right away. Katy was on her way over and Faith was going to tell Emily what was going on in case he went to school. She would call Faith from her cell phone if he showed up.  
  
There was a knock on the door and Bosco opened it to find Katy standing there. She came in and gave him a hug. "What happened?" she asked him, seeing how upset he was.  
  
"I screwed up. That's what happened," he said with disgust.  
  
"I'm sure that's not true. Just tell me what happened," Katy said, putting her arm around his back as they walked over to sit down. He poured her a cup of coffee and looked at the broken bottle that was sitting next to the coffee pot.  
  
He nodded toward the bottle. "That happened. I found it in Cole's garbage as I was taking it down to the curb last night. I never would have known if I didn't drop the can and the bottle broke," he said. "He's been lying to me all along. How could I not see it? I thought everything was gonna be okay," he said, looking at Katy.  
  
"Bosco. You would have seen it. One of us would have. He has too many people there for him to have been doing this without anyone noticing it. Have you called his counselor at the center?" she asked him, walking over to him.  
  
"No," he said looking at his watch. "I should probably do that, but I was hoping he'd come back on his own."  
  
"We'll figure it out. Between all of us, we'll figure it out," she assured him as he picked up the phone to call the center.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
Cole found himself parked at the curb near the school. He watched the kids going in. He was startled when he heard a voice alongside of him.  
  
"Cole? Are you okay?" Emily asked him, bending down to the open window.  
  
"Emily. Yeah, I'm fine," he said, lying to her.  
  
"Are you coming in? I'll walk with you," she said, hoping that she could talk him into coming into the school. At least that way she'd know where he was. Then, she could call her mother and Bosco could come and get him.  
  
"Um. I don't think I'm coming today. I don't feel that great," he said to her.  
  
"Oh. Sorry to hear that. So, when did you get your license? And, more importantly, how did you get Uncle Bosco to let you use his car? My brother Charlie says he can't wait until he's old enough to drive this car," she said, smiling to try to put him at ease.  
  
"Oh. It's a guy thing. He just told me I could use it for the day. You want to go for a ride?" he asked her. She knew she shouldn't go with him - knew that he didn't really have his license, but she didn't want to let him get away either.   
  
She looked back at the school and then back at Cole. "Are you a good driver?" she asked him.  
  
"Taught by the best," he said teasingly. She opened the door and got in.  
  
"Okay. Where are we going?" she said to him.  
  
"I don't know. How about over to the park? It's a nice day. It's gonna warm up. We could just hang out and talk," he said to her, starting the car.  
  
She shrugged, "Sounds good to me."  
  
Cole pulled away from the curb and drove in the direction they discussed. "I guess Bosco did teach you how to drive," she said to him, noticing how well he did. After about ten minutes they were at the park and Cole pulled to the curb and turned off the car.   
  
"What's the matter?" Emily asked him as he sat staring out the windshield.  
  
"Nothing. Everything," he said, tears starting to form in his eyes.  
  
"Cole?" Emily said, reaching over to touch his hand. She felt that he was holding something in his hand and peeled his fingers open.  
  
"What're you gonna do with this?" she asked him quietly. She knew she was out of her league now. She had no idea what to say to him. "Maybe I should call my Mom," she thought to herself, but she didn't want to scare him away.  
  
"I screwed up," he said finally, still not looking at her as a tear escaped down the side of his face.  
  
"I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. Did you talk to Bosco about it? I'm sure he could help," she said. He looked over at her and let an anguished laugh escape.  
  
"He's not gonna want anything to do with me anymore," he started only to be interrupted by Emily.  
  
"That's not true. Bosco's a great listener. He never gives up on anything. Tell me what happened. I'll bet it's not as bad as you say," she said. "C'mon, let's go sit on the picnic table," she said opening her car door. She knew he wouldn't just leave her here by herself. He didn't follow right away, so she walked over to the table to sit. As she walked she reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed her number and heard her mother answer the phone.  
  
"Emily?" Faith asked. "Where are you? School called."  
  
"I'm with Cole, Mom. He was sitting outside of school and he was pretty upset. We're at the park talking. I think I can talk him into coming back, but I just wanted to let you know where I was," Emily told her as she heard the car door closing. "I've gotta go. I'll call you soon," she said before hanging up.  
  
Cole came over and sat down next to her on the table, holding his face up to the sun to let the warmth hit him.  
  
"I drank last night," he said sadly.  
  
"Okay. Why?" she asked him.  
  
"I don't know. I bought that bottle about a week ago when I went to the store for Rose. I had it in my dresser all that time. I'd take it out and look at it, but I'd always be able to put it back without taking it, but last night was too much," he said.  
  
"Is that when you bought the drugs too?" she asked him.  
  
"No. First I drank the bottle last night and Bosco found it. I saw the look of disappointment on his face. I couldn't stand it," he said, tears welling up again. "I bought the drugs this morning - with money I found in Bosco's coat in the car."  
  
"Why? What was so bad about last night? And why did you have to buy those drugs?"  
  
He shrugged as he thought about her questions. He looked around, thinking of his answer.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco's phone rang and he picked it up after the first ring. "Cole?" he said quickly.  
  
"No, it's Faith. Emily just called me. She's with Cole. They're talking. She found him outside of school this morning and said he looked pretty upset," she said.  
  
"Is he okay?" Bosco asked her, concerned that he had been drinking or worse. He knew he'd never do anything to hurt Emily on purpose, but if he was altered from the drugs... He didn't want to think that.  
  
"I think so. She would have told me otherwise. They went to the park. She thinks she can talk him into coming back home. She'll call me if she needs help," she assured her partner.  
  
"Thanks, Faith. I'll stay here until I hear from you or Emily," he said, as Katy took his hand.  
  
Bosco hung up the phone and told Katy what was happening.   
  
"She's a good kid. Faith did a good job with her," she said. Bosco nodded, thinking that he'd like a chance to do a good job with Cole. As if reading his mind, Katy said, "You will too, Bosco."  
  
He smiled and got up to walk over to the window, wondering if he could see the park from his window. He couldn't.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Cole had told her the whole story about running into Chenise at the hospital and about her involvement in warning him about Raven at the center Upstate. He told her about the upcoming trial. He told her about the mistake about his age and not being old enough to drive. He also told her about some of the stuff that was going on at school - stuff he'd never talked about before, like the kids that had found out about his past and were taunting him about it and giving him dirty looks and talking about him behind his back. How he was trying to stay away from the tough kids at school, but felt himself being pulled in that direction again.  
  
"I'm sorry, Cole," Emily said. "I didn't know that you were going through all that. You should have told me. You can talk to me anytime, okay?" she told him.  
  
He nodded. "Thanks, Em. You're okay, for a square," he teased, wiping the tears away.  
  
"Thanks. But, I don't think I'm so square. I'm skipping school and driving around with an unlicensed driver in a car that's not his," she kidded back. "What d'you say we go home and talk to Bosco. I'll go with you if you want. I know he's worried. He called my Mom this morning after you left all upset. He really is a great guy, despite what he went through as a kid," she said.   
  
He looked at her and she realized that he didn't know anything about that so she relayed what little bits and pieces she had picked up through conversations between her mother and father.  
  
"Wow," he said when she'd finished. "I guess he's been through a lot himself. I didn't know that."   
  
"So, I guess if he can turn out as good as he did, there's still plenty of hope for you. With the help of your family and friends. You do have a family now, Cole. And we'll always be here for you," she told him, taking his hand again. She opened his hand again and took the packet of drugs from it. "Let's go home, okay?" she said, standing up.   
  
He looked up at the sun again and stood up next to her. "Thanks, Emily," Cole said, giving her a hug and they started to walk toward the car.   
  
"Wait," Emily said, pulling out her cell phone. "We better have Bosco come and get the car. Trust me. You don't want to scratch his 'baby.'" She handed Cole the phone to call Bosco.  
  
He took the phone and dialed the number, afraid of what Bosco would say when he answered.  
  
"Hello?" Bosco said into the phone, and Cole heard the worry in his voice.  
  
"It's me. I'm at the park with Emily and your car. Could you come and pick us up? I don't have my license yet," he said.  
  
"I'll be right there, Buddy. I'll be right there," he said and Cole could hear the relief in his voice. He knew right then that everything was going to be okay if they could just get through this trial that was coming up.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	30. Chapter 30

The Witness  
  
Chapter 30  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ready?" Bosco asked Cole, noticing how nervous he was. Cole looked over at Bosco and barely shook his head 'yes.'  
  
"It's gonna be okay. You're doing really well in the rehab program, your school grades are good, it's gonna be okay. Besides, this is just the part where they choose the jury," Bosco tried to reassure him. They walked into the Courtroom and Cole took a seat alongside his attorney and Bosco sat right behind him.   
  
Cole and his attorney, Tony Jenkins, were quietly discussing some things while Bosco looked around the room. Suddenly, he felt a presence alongside him and turned to see Katy and Faith standing there. He moved over to allow them in to sit down.  
  
"Thanks for coming," he said to both of them.  
  
"How'd he doing?" Katy asked, putting a hand in Bosco's. Faith noticed and smiled inwardly to herself.  
  
"He's nervous," he told them.  
  
"Yeah, well. He'll be fine. Listen, Bos. Can I talk to you for a minute?" Faith said to him.  
  
"Yeah, sure," he said, getting up to follow her out into the hallway. The case wasn't due to start for another ten minutes.  
  
Once in the hallway, Bosco turned to Faith. "What's up?"  
  
"Well, I have some information that may be of some help. But it involves breaking a trust between Emily and Cole," she said hesitantly. She had told Emily that she was going to talk to Bosco about it and let him make the ultimate decision on whether to use the information or not.   
  
"What? What is it?" he asked her.  
  
"Well, Cole was telling Emily that one of the reasons that he drank that bottle of vodka was because he was scared for his friend from the hospital," she said.  
  
Bosco shook his head, not understanding who she was talking about. "What friend from the hospital?"  
  
"That nursing student, Chenise, or whatever her name is. Apparently, she's the one that tipped him off about Raven coming to look for him when he was Upstate. She must be the one that found you in the parking lot that night too. Cole told Em that she's the sister of one of Raven's boys. She tried to help Cole because she felt guilty about telling her brother that Cole was in the hospital and still alive. That's why she warned him about them coming for him Upstate," Faith explained.  
  
"She's the one that knew about Cole being set up with the drugs and stuff too," Bosco said, starting to get excited, thinking that this would be helpful to Cole during this trial.  
  
"Go slow, Bosco," Faith warned him. "Talk to Cole's attorney first before you do anything."  
  
"Yeah. Thanks, Faith. And tell Em I owe her one," he said, turning to go back into the Courtroom.  
  
Bosco was talking to Jenkins when the Court officer stood up and called the Court to order. They all stood as the Judge walked into the Courtroom and took her place on the bench.   
  
The Judge made her opening remarks and then motioned to the attorneys to begin trying their case. Tony Jenkins stood up first.  
  
"Your Honor, I know that this is highly unusual, however, I have just received critical information regarding my client's case and would like to request a postponement or delay to the start of this trial," he said.  
  
"Your Honor," began the District Attorney, standing up. The Judge held up her hand, interrupting both attorneys.  
  
"Mr. Jenkins, you are correct in that this is highly unusual. And, I don't take kindly to having my Court calendar messed with," she said with irritation.  
  
"Your Honor, I'd be happy to meet with you and the Prosecutor in chambers to discuss this new evidence. It is my hope that we can come to some type of compromise and save the State the cost of this trial," Jenkins said quickly.  
  
The Judge looked over to the D.A. "Counselor?" she asked him.  
  
"Your Honor, we agree to a meeting in Chambers," he replied.  
  
The Judge struck her gavel on the bench and said, "This Court is in a half hour recess. I apologize to the prospective jurors for the delay as I'm sure do these attorneys."  
  
The attorneys all stood and followed the Judge out the door to her chambers and Cole sat there, looking bewildered. Bosco motioned for him to follow him, Faith and Katy out into the hallway where he'd explain everything to him.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"Your Honor, Mr. Morgan," Jenkins said, addressing the Judge and the District Attorney. "I apologize for the timing of my receipt of this information and I must admit I have some fast researching and questioning to do. I have been informed by a friend of my client, through her mother, that there is a witness with information regarding the fact that my client was set up with those drugs in his pocket and that the person claiming that my client tried to sell those drugs to her daughter is, in fact, in a relationship with a Mr. Byron Morris, also known as Raven of the Latin Lords - a person with a known grudge against my client," Tony explained.  
  
"Your Honor," the DA started to object. "This is an obvious attempt by the Defense to clutter this trial and delay progress..."  
  
"Mr. Morgan," the Judge interrupted. "Since we've taken a half hour recess from this case, the least we can do is make good use of it and listen to what Mr. Jenkins has to say. After all, he's trying to save the taxpayers the expense of this trial," she said, with a little sarcasm."  
  
"Thank you, Your Honor," Tony replied, ignoring the sarcastic remark by the Judge. He went on to explain the situation to both the Judge and the DA and after a half hour, everyone was returning to the Courtroom to resume.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Cole was not happy with the information Bosco, Faith and Katy gave him. He wasn't angry with Emily because he knew she was trying to help him. He was angry with Bosco for bringing the information to his attorney without talking to him about it first. He was terrified for Chenise's safety, now that the information was going to be a part of public record.  
  
As the Judge returned to the bench, Cole was arguing with Bosco and Tony, trying to convince them not to use this information and endanger Chenise. "Please, Cole. Everything is going to be okay. Trust me," Tony said to Cole as the Court was called back to order.  
  
"In light of new information received by the Defense, and in agreement with the Prosecution, this case has been postponed and will be rescheduled to begin in one week if the need still presents itself. Potential Jurors," said the Judge. "You may return to the main Jury Pool in Room 322 of this building with this Court's thanks." With that, the gavel sounded again, leaving an angry Cole surrounded by his attorney, Bosco, Faith and Katy.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	31. Chapter 31

The Witness  
  
Chapter 31  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Cole. Are you awake?" Bosco asked, knocking on the door to Cole's room again.  
  
"Yeah. But I don't really feel like talking," Cole answered. Bosco looked over his shoulder to Katy and shrugged.  
  
"Okay, but I'm here if you want to. I really think that we should talk about this. I know your angry, but it's the best thing," he tried to reason.  
  
"Whatever," Cole responded.  
  
Bosco walked back into the living room and sat down next to Katy. They were eating sandwiches that they picked up on the way home from Court. Cole's sat on the counter, untouched.  
  
"I don't know what to do," Bosco said.  
  
"There's nothing you can do. He's 15. He's a teenager. They brood - A LOT!" Katy told him. "He'll be out soon. The hunger will win over the anger."  
  
They watched the television and talked for about an hour and then heard Cole's door open. Bosco glanced over and saw that he had his coat on.  
  
"Where're you off too?" he asked, trying to sound casual.  
  
"I'm just going out for a walk," he said, walking over and unwrapping the sandwich that was on the counter. He took half and started toward the door.  
  
"By yourself? You want company?" Katy offered.  
  
"No. I just want to think about some things," he said, opening the door. He made fleeting eye contact with Bosco who had remained silent until now.  
  
"Why don't you take my cell phone with you in case you get stuck somewhere. You need any money?" Bosco asked, standing up to get his phone out of his coat pocket by the door and reaching into his pocket and handing his $10.  
  
"Thanks," Cole said, taking the phone and shoving it in his own coat pocket. Without saying anything else, he walked out the door and closed it quietly behind him, leaving Bosco at the door.  
  
"You handled that well," Katy observed.  
  
"Not really. I wanted to tell him he couldn't go," Bosco told her as he walked over to the window and watched him walk down the street.  
  
"Yeah, but you showed him that you trust him. That's important," she said.  
  
"Do I? I want to follow him to see where he's going," he confessed, looking at her.  
  
"But you won't," she said, smiling. "Why don't you come over here and we'll see if we can't take your mind off of it for a little while."   
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Emily's cell phone rang in her room and she answered. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey. It's me. What's going on?"  
  
"Nothing. You okay? I'm sorry about what happened. I didn't mean for it to upset you," she told Cole.  
  
"Nah. It's not your fault. I know you're all just trying to help. I'm just worried about what happens when Raven finds out what Chenise did."  
  
"You think he'll really do something? He's gotta know that they're watching him," Emily reasoned.  
  
"You don't know Raven. He'll find a way. And it'll be my fault," he said, and Emily could hear traffic in the background.  
  
"Where are you, Cole?" she asked.  
  
"I'm just walking. Trying to think," he told her.  
  
"Want me to come with you?" she offered.  
  
"No. I'm gonna head home anyway. I don't want Bosco to worry. But, thanks," he said, hanging up.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco and Katy were starting to worry. It had been about three hours since Cole had left and it was getting dark. Katy suggested he call Faith to see if he'd gone over to talk to Emily. The two had gotten to be quite good friends.  
  
"Hey, Faith. It's me. Cole isn't there, is he?" Bosco asked Faith when she answered the phone.  
  
"Uh, no he's not," Faith said. "What happened?"  
  
"Nothing. He's worried about this Chenise girl and said he was going to go for a walk. That was like three hours ago. We're starting to get worried," he explained.  
  
"Hang on. I know Emily's phone rang before," Faith said, taking the phone away from her face. Bosco heard her in the background, "Hey, Em! Have you talked to Cole today? What did he say? Okay. Thanks. No, he just hasn't gone home yet," she called to Emily before coming back to the phone.  
  
"Bos? Emily said that he called her like an hour and a half ago. Said he was just walking around thinking and that he was gonna head back home so you didn't worry. He didn't say where he was, but she knew he was outside because she could hear traffic on the phone," she told him.  
  
"Hmmm. Okay. Well, I think I'll try calling my cell phone that he took with him. Thanks and let me know if you guys hear from him, okay?" Bosco said.  
  
"Yeah, Bos. Call me and let me know what happens 'cause now Emily's worried too," Faith said.  
  
"Will do," Bosco said, hanging up.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	32. Chapter 32

The Witness  
  
Chapter 32  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Cole waited outside the hospital for the shift change, figuring he'd see Chenise either coming in to work or leaving. He needed to talk to her, warn her about them coming to her as a witness for his case.  
  
Finally, he saw her coming out of the hospital and called to her. She looked at him quickly and then kept moving.  
  
"Chenise!" he said again, this time getting up to follow her. "Wait," he said catching up to her and grabbing her arm. "I need to talk to you about someth...," he stopped as she turned to look at him. He saw the bruises on her face and arms.  
  
"My God, Chenise! What happened?" he asked.  
  
"Cole, you shouldn't be here. You need to leave before he gets to you too," she said, tears coming to her eyes.  
  
"Did Raven do this to you?" Cole asked her, anger rising within him. She didn't respond, but looked around nervously.  
  
He grabbed her by both arms and turned her to face him. "Chenise! Did Raven do this to you?"  
  
"Not him, but one of his boys," she said. "He's looking for you. You shouldn't be here. Go back home. He can't bother you there," she said, pulling away and running to her car.  
  
Cole stood there for a moment, not sure what to do, but feeling the anger against Raven getting bigger. He decided he'd go talk to him - tell him that he'd make sure that they didn't use Chenise. He'd just do the time for the crime even though he didn't commit it and then it would all be alright. His mind made up, he started toward his old neighborhood.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"I called the Center. He's not there. I called my Mom, he didn't go over there. I called Faith again to see if he called Emily. I even called my phone that he has. He doesn't answer. No one's seen him. I'm really worried," Bosco said to Katy.  
  
"I know, but he didn't just disappear. What about the park that he went to with Emily that day? Let's go check over there," she suggested.  
  
"What if he calls and no one's here," Bosco said.   
  
"Put a message on your machine so that if he calls he knows you're out looking for him and tell him to come back here. Or, better yet, tell him to call my cell phone and leave him the number," she told him.  
  
Bosco changed the message on his machine and they headed over to the park to look for him.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"Whatta you want?" sneered the kid outside of the apartment building.  
  
"I need to talk to Raven," Cole said, tougher than he felt.  
  
"Wait here. I'll see if he wants to see you," said the boy before he disappeared inside. After a couple of minutes, the boy returned with two others. They came outside and looked around.  
  
"You got your cop with you?" one of them asked.  
  
"No. I'm alone. I'm here about Chenise. He needs to leave her alone. I'm gonna make sure that they don't make her testify so Raven can leave her alone," Cole said.  
  
The three of them looked around again and then opened the door. Raven's upstairs waiting for you. Don't do anything stupid, Cole," warned one of them.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Katy's cell phone rang and she answered it. "Katy Logan. Yeah, just a minute," she said, handing the phone to Bosco. "It's Faith."  
  
"Yeah," he said into the phone. "Thanks. I'm gonna head over there to take a look around," he said. "I will." He hung up the phone and handed it over to Katy.  
  
"What?" she asked him.  
  
"You need to go back to the apartment and wait for Cole. I need to check one more place and then I'll be home," he told her.  
  
"Where are you going?" she asked, afraid of what he might tell her.  
  
"That girl Chenise. She was at the ER today. She came in beat up. I'm gonna go see what I can find out about that, Katy. I need you to go back to my place in case Cole shows up there," he said to her.  
  
"Bosco, where are you going? To the hospital?"  
  
"Yeah," he lied, knowing that Faith already told him that the girl had left. He'd head over to her house and start looking for Cole there.  
  
"Okay. Call me if you find out anything," she said, kissing him and watching him hail a cab for her. She got in and gave the cabbie the address and watched out the back window as Bosco got into the next cab and headed off.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"Well, look what the cat drug in," Raven sneered from inside the apartment.  
  
"I don't want any trouble, Raven. I just want you to leave Chenise alone," Cole said, trying not to sound as afraid as he was, but fearing that Raven could sense his fear anyway.  
  
"What are you talking about? Why would I bother Chenise?" Raven asked with sarcasm.  
  
"I mean it, Raven. She's not part of this. This is between you and me. I'm willing to take the rap for this thing and do the time, but I want your promise that you'll leave Chenise out of this. She was only trying to help me," Cole said. He didn't notice the two guys circling around behind him until it was too late. They grabbed onto him and held him down in a chair.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"This would be a good time to leave," Bosco said to the two kids in front of Raven's apartment.  
  
"The two immediately took an adversarial stance upon Bosco's arrival. Bosco pulled his jacket back so that they could see his gun in his waistband while taking out his wallet and showing them his police identification.  
  
"I'm wearing a wire and one word from me and the eight squad cars around the corner will make your life a living hell," he warned. The boys looked at each other and decided they didn't want to press their luck. The threw their hands up in a sign of surrender and walked away. After they'd rounded the building, Bosco pulled out his gun and held it at his side as he entered the building.  
  
He walked up the stairs quietly, listening for any voices. At the top of the stairs he heard Cole talking to someone. He could hear the distress in his voice and he tensed immediately. He silently walked toward the door while taking the safety off on his gun. He stood at the doorway and listened for a moment to try to hear how many people were in the room.  
  
"Jessie, Billy. Put him in the other room until I figure out what to do with him. And then send PJ to get his girlfriend, Chenise, over here. Let's see how he likes it when we do a job on her in front of him," Raven said.   
  
Bosco pushed open the door, raising his gun at the same time. "Everyone stay right where they are," he said, looking around the room quickly. His eyes landed on Cole who was being restrained by the two men that Bosco assumed was Jessie and Billy. "Let him go," he ordered and the two looked over at Raven who signaled for them to keep hold of Cole.  
  
"Bosco. You shouldn't have come here," Cole said.   
  
"Be quiet, Cole. Let me handle this," he said, his eyes moving back and forth between Raven and the two that held onto Cole.  
  
"I said, let him go," he ordered again.  
  
"You can't shoot all of us, Mr. Police Officer, so what're you gonna do. You're outnumbered," Raven said to him.  
  
"Don't be so sure," Bosco said.   
  
Suddenly, a voice came from the other room and broke his concentration for a split second. He saw the gun come out from one of the boys holding Cole and he fired, hitting him in the arm and knocking him to the ground. But the same time that Bosco took care of one of them, Raven pulled a gun from his waistband and fired a shot in Bosco's direction.  
  
He felt the bullet hit him in the side, but managed to remain standing even though the gun fell from his hand as the voice from the other room threw a kitchen chair at him.  
  
"Bosco!" Cole yelled, as he was struck in the head by the other kid holding onto him. He fell to the floor, stunned.   
  
"Say goodbye, Cop," Raven said as he aimed the gun at Bosco.  
  
A shot rang out and then everything was silent.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	33. Chapter 33

The Witness  
  
Chapter 33  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bosco heard the shot and waited for the feel of another hot bullet to hit him. But, it didn't come. Then he heard someone coming through the door behind him and sirens in the distance getting closer.  
  
"Don't move," he hard Faith's voice behind him commanding the remaining kid near Cole. "Bosco? Are you okay?"  
  
"Um," he said, talking through the pain in his side. "I think I've been better." He looked up to see Raven lying on the floor, blood seeping onto the floor. He looked over and saw Cole sitting on the floor, Bosco's gun still in his hand. He was staring at Raven, his eyes wide and his hands shaking while the gun was still pointed in Raven's direction.  
  
"You two come over here," Faith said to the two boys next to Cole. The one that Bosco shot in the arm got up and his buddy helped him over toward Faith as the uniformed officers came in behind her.  
  
"There was another one," Bosco told them, referring to the one who'd thrown the chair at him and knocked his gun to the floor.  
  
"He's in custody. We caught him coming out the back door," said one of the officers.  
  
"We've got a 10-13. We need a bus," Faith told the officer, who immediately notified the dispatcher on his radio.  
  
"How bad is it?" she asked, putting her gun away as one officer took the two kids away and the other went over to check on Raven.  
  
Bosco didn't answer her. He was looking at Cole. He got up into a half-sitting position and managed to start moving toward him.  
  
"Cole," he said quietly and calmly. "Cole, look at me," he urged him. Cole slowly turned his head to look at Bosco, the gun still in his hand.  
  
"It's all over. Give me the gun," he said in a soothing tone.  
  
"I killed him?" Cole asked, already knowing the answer.  
  
"It's over, Cole. Everything's all over. Just give me the gun," Bosco told him as he reached his side.  
  
"Um," Cole started, a tear sliding down his face. "I can't let go of it," he said, the shaking of his hand increasing.  
  
"Let me help you," Bosco said, covering Cole's hand with his own. He managed to work the gun out of Cole's grip. Cole noticed the blood on Bosco's hand and looked at the wound in his side. He looked up to Bosco's face and saw the sweat forming.  
  
"Are you going to die too?" Cole asked.  
  
"What?" Bosco said, meeting Cole's gaze as he handed his gun over to Faith. "No, Cole. I'm not going anywhere. This is nothing," he said, the pain shooting through his side.  
  
"He was gonna kill you," Cole said, looking back over at Raven.  
  
"I know. You didn't have a choice. You saved my life, Cole," he said.   
  
"I thought he was gonna kill you," Cole said, his voice trailing off as the emotions came pouring out.  
  
"I know. It's okay now. It's all over," Bosco said, embracing Cole and holding onto him tightly until the medics came through the door.  
  
Bosco felt a hand on his shoulder and heard the familiar voices of Kim and Alex at his side. "Bosco, let me take a look," Kim said as she tried to ease him back away from Cole.  
  
"It's okay, Cole. I'm gonna be okay," Bosco said. "Faith," he said to his partner.  
  
"I'll take care of him, Bosco. Just let Kimmy look at you," Faith said, coming around and helping Cole to stand up.   
  
She walked him to the doorway and Bosco heard Cole say, "I want to stay with him."  
  
"We'll wait down by the ambulance, Cole. You can ride in with him, okay?" Faith said gently.  
  
"How bad is it?" Bosco asked Kim after she'd cut away his shirt and looked at the wound.  
  
"Doesn't look too bad, but I'm sure it hurts like hell," Kim told him as she applied a dressing to the wound.  
  
"And then some," he said as Alex came up alongside them.  
  
"The other one's dead," Alex reported, reaching into the medic bag and pulling out an IV solution bag and tubing.  
  
"Someone needs to check on Cole. He's the one that shot the guy. He saved my life," Bosco said proudly.  
  
"Doc's outside," Alex said. "Faith'll get him checked out."  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
About two hours later, Cole, Katy, Faith, Rose and a bunch of cops were waiting in the lounge outside of the Operating Rooms for word on Bosco's condition. They were told by the ER doctor that the bullet appeared to miss anything vital, but that the wound needed to be cleaned out and sutured. He was brought up to the OR so that the wound could be explored further to make sure nothing got nicked and then close it up. He was expected to make a full recovery.  
  
While they were waiting, Cole had undergone questioning by the police department and Katy had called Alex Jenkins who had come over to the hospital. After answering the questions and talking with the DA, it was determined that Cole would not face charges from the shooting and the DA was prepared to drop the drug case against him in light of Chenise's testimony.  
  
"How did you know where I was?" Cole asked Faith.  
  
"Well, I didn't until Katy called me," Faith said.  
  
"We were out looking for you when Faith called us to tell us about Chenise getting beat up by Raven - the hospital has to call the police when there's evidence of an assault. Bosco sent me home to wait for you and said he was going to go to the hospital to talk to Chenise. I know Bosco too well, so I called Faith to tell her," Katy said, letting Faith explain the rest because she wasn't sure what happened after that.  
  
"I got Chenise's address and went over to talk to her. She said that Bosco was there and that he'd left to go look for you at Raven's place. I called the station for backup and headed over there too. And, you know the rest," Faith finished.  
  
"I still can't believe I shot Raven," Cole said in disbelief.  
  
"Well, you did what you had to do," Faith said, putting a hand on his arm. "If you hadn't, he would have killed Bosco and then you."  
  
"You're not alone, Cole. You have a large family now and we all care about you. We'll get you whatever help you need to deal with this," Katy said.  
  
"I know that now," Cole said.  
  
The doctor came through the door and walked into the waiting area. He looked around the crowd and asked for Bosco's family. The four of them stood up and the doctor approached.  
  
"He's going to be fine. The bullet passed through without doing any major damage. He's going to be sore for a week or so, but he'll make a complete recovery. He's in the Recovery Room and he's awake. He's asking for someone named Cole?" the doctor said.  
  
"That's me," Cole said, stepping forward.  
  
"Follow me and I'll take you back, but only for a minute. He needs to get some rest," the doctor said as they went through the doors.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Cole followed the doctor into the room and walked up to Bosco's bed. His eyes were closed and he whispered, "Bosco?"  
  
Bosco's eyes fluttered open and a smile came across his face as he looked at Cole. "You okay?" he asked, holding out a hand. Cole grasped his hand and was soothed by the strong grip he received back.  
  
"Yeah. The doctor said you're gonna be fine too, Bos," Cole told him.  
  
"I didn't have any doubts. Thanks, Cole," Bosco said. "If you didn't grab my gun, we'd both be dead right now."  
  
"I still can't believe I did it. I don't really remember it - it all happened so fast," Cole said.  
  
"Good. You shouldn't have to remember stuff like that, but if you have any problems with it, just talk to me or somebody about it, okay?" Bosco said.  
  
"Yeah, I will. Hey, Mr. Jenkins came over. The DA's dropping the charges on the drug case. So, I guess it really is all over," Cole said with a smile.  
  
"Great. Now we can get back to being a family, right?" Bosco said.  
  
"Right. Thanks, Bosco. For everything," Cole said as Bosco drifted back off to sleep.  
  
"Okay, Cole. Let's let him get some rest," the doctor said, leading him out of the room.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Epilogue to follow... 


	34. Epilogue

The Witness  
  
Epilogue - 2 Years Later  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Cole walked up the stairs carrying the mail from the lobby. He'd just finished with school for the week. He opened the door and found that Bosco was still home.   
  
"How come you're not at work?" Cole asked, putting his door key back in his jacket pocket.  
  
"I took the night off," was all Bosco said.  
  
"Everything okay?" Cole asked, noticing the peculiar look on his face. He looked over and noticed Katy sitting in the kitchen with a grin on her face.  
  
"Yeah. I just felt like having a day off. That the mail?" he asked, pointing the pile in Cole's hands.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Anything for me?" Bosco asked. He knew there was because he'd gone down earlier to check before he decided to take the night off.  
  
"Let's see," Cole said, looking through the envelopes. "What're you looking for?"  
  
"I don't know. I think I'm supposed to be getting something from the insurance company about my car," Bosco said, trying to act non-chalant.  
  
"Yup. Here you go," he said, holding out the envelope for Bosco to take. He kept looking through the envelopes until he came across one with his name on it. He looked at the return address and a smile grew on his face.  
  
"What is it?" Bosco asked.  
  
"It's from the Motor Vehicle Department," Cole said, ripping open the envelope. Bosco watched for the expression on Cole's face and was rewarded with a smile.  
  
"I got my permanent driver's license," he said, holding it up for Bosco to see.   
  
"Nice picture," Bosco teased.   
  
"Yeah, well I've seen your's and it's not much better," Cole teased back.  
  
"Wait. This has your name on it," Bosco said, handing the envelope from the insurance company over to Cole.  
  
"What? Why?" he asked. He took a moment to read it and then looked up at Bosco.  
  
"This is the insurance policy for your mustang. How come my name's listed as the primary driver?" Cole asked.  
  
"I'm getting a little old to be driving that around. I figured I'd get me something a little more in my age range," Bosco said, pretending to walk with a cane. "The mustang's all your's, Cole," he said, throwing the keys to him. "Take care of her."  
  
"What?! Wow! I will. Thanks, Bosco," Cole said, shaking hands with Bosco as they embraced each other.  
  
"You've earned it, Cole. I'm proud of everything you've accomplished in the last two years," Bosco said. "You've turned out to be quite a man."  
  
"Well, I had a lot of help. I think everyday what might have happened to me if you had given up on me. I'll never forget the family you gave me, Bosco. Thank you," Cole said, leaving an awkward silence between them.  
  
"Oh man. We're getting sappy. So, let's go celebrate. You drive. I told Faith we'd meet them at Haggerty's for dinner. I know you have a date with Emily later - Faith told me - so we'll bring Katy's car, okay?" Bosco asked.  
  
"Absolutely! I'm just gonna go change quick," Cole said as he went down the hallway to his room.  
  
Katy got up and walked over to Bosco, putting her arms around him and kissing him. "You've done a great job with him, Maurice."  
  
"I had a lot of help from you and Faith and my Mom," Bosco conceded.  
  
"Is your Mom gonna be there too?" Katy asked him.  
  
"Of course. Actually, there's gonna be quite a few of our friends there. I wouldn't give you this if there wasn't enough people for you to show it off to," Bosco said, handing her a black velvet box. He laughed as her eyes grew wide and she took in a sharp breath.  
  
"Maurice? Is this what I think it is?" Katy asked, getting flustered and teary-eyed.  
  
"Open it up and see," he said as she sat down on the couch. As she opened the box, she saw Bosco bend down onto one knee. Inside the box, was a beautiful 1 1/2 carat diamond solitaire surrounded by her birthstone, Sapphire.  
  
"Katherine Marie Logan, will you marry me?" Bosco asked, putting the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly.  
  
"Yes, Maurice. I'd love to be your wife," she answered, tears of joy falling down her cheeks.  
  
"Did what I think just happened really happen?" Cole asked as he came up the hallway and saw Bosco on his knees and Katy crying.  
  
She shook her head yes, unable to speak. Cole came over and gave her a big hug and shook Bosco's hand again.  
  
"Let's go," Bosco said, getting up. They all grabbed their coats, talking a mile-a-minute on their way out the door. It was as if they'd been together forever.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The End....  
  
I'd just like to take a minute to thank Cole for this story idea. He gave me some things he'd like to see in a story and told me to run with it. He kept e-mailing me with ideas and suggestions and I had a blast trying to incorporate them into the story. Thanks Cole!  
  
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story. I had fun doing it. 


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